Canadian HR Reporter

www.hrreporter.com 9 inclusive leadership, which translates to inclusive allyship." Have leadership step up It is essential for leadership to model the behaviour that they're asking employees to do, says Sojourner-Campbell. "When they're dealing with either overt or covert racist statements — whether it's said in a meeting online or in different formats — it would be very important for the leader, the CEO, to stand up and to comment back and recognize but also name what the racist comments were, in terms of identifying 'Was it anti-Black racism?' Because I think sometimes what will happen if there was an incident that was very uncomfortable or [racist], people don't necessarily know what that means. So, it's talking about… 'Here are the steps that we're going to constantly take in order to address this matter.'" It's also about looking at white privilege and fragility, and how it has contributed toward a culture of anti-Black racism, says Percil. "If your CEO, your HR leaders, your people leaders have not gone through anti-Black racism training, if they do not know what a covert racist act or overt racist act or what is unconscious racial [bias]… if they don't have a knowledge have Black employees present to talk about what their experiences are. Not only that, to draw on their expertise and their knowledge, so that it's not simply 'my story' but it's 'My story as a trained professional in this environment'… so it's not a generalist perspective, it's a very specialized set of knowledge." If you want to attract the best talent, you've got to have management take concerns seriously, says Divine. "And that means for your staff to have this place where they can speak to each other, where they can be free and where they can feel it's a space where they feel valued." The real work starts not just with a Black employees' network but making sure they're an equitable partner, says Percil. "Are you leveraging that group when it comes to advancement or retention or truly understanding the leadership journey or getting feedback on a specific program?" she says. "If your organization doesn't have this space or a way to listen to the stories to the leadership journey of your Black employees, if you do not have representation on your boards, on your senior leadership team in your pipeline, then it means that you really have not started doing the work of of racism or the tenets of racism, then how can you ensure that your leaders have been inclusive?" Make training effective While the intent of racial bias training is well meaning, it has to be integrated into the fabric of a person's job so it makes sense to them, says Sojourner-Campbell. "A theoretical, abstract conversation about race and racialized identities and the history of racism — it's great to inform people, but if you actually want them to change, you need to create an environment where they know how to put those skills into practice and it translates into real change." And employers have a responsibility — under various human rights codes — to provide a workplace free from discrimination, she says. "There's a legal element to this that I think sometimes gets lost when we think of it or we couch anti-racism or anti-oppression or dealing with systemic racism issues as more of a 'How do we do this as a society?' as opposed to looking at the legalities and some of the legislative obligations that employers and employees have." It's also important to acknowledge that all human beings are biased, says Divine. "When we become aware of how bias impacts our decision-making on a daily basis, when we go through this training, we should be able to go back to our organization and say to a senior level or staff or leaders 'We need to do something different.' By that difference, I mean look around in your boardroom, look around in your office and see who are being promoted, who have been given the [top] projects, who are being called upon to take forward initiatives within the organization." CHRR "How can employers address anti-Black racism and not have Black workers present to talk about their experiences?" Tomee Sojourner-Campbell, Tomee Sojourner Consulting

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