Endorse Colleagues in Meetings, and Other Actions for Allies
Each week, Karen Catlin shares five simple actions to create a more inclusive workplace and be a better ally.
1. Endorse colleagues in meetings
Earlier this week, Tim Banks tweeted:
“White folks: If you have BIPOC or otherwise marginalized co-workers who are always the outspoken one in meetings, and you agree with what they’re saying but don’t speak up also, you can’t call yourself an ally, full stop
Why do I say that? Because the most vulnerable people in your org take the biggest risk when speaking up. So, when you keep your support silent, leadership has a view that their opinions are the outlier. When this becomes routine, they are viewed as difficult or hypercritical.”
Allies, let’s pledge to show our support when colleagues from underrepresented groups speak in meetings. It might mean simply stating, “I agree with so-and-so,” to endorse what they’ve brought up — or dropping “100% to what so-and-so said” in the meeting chat.
Share this everyday action on LinkedIn or retweet it
2. Leave loudly
We’ve all got them. Personal things that need to be done during work hours, such as doctor appointments and children’s school events. We might need to work remotely to be home for a repair person or to care for a sick family member. We might utilize a company benefit of spending time volunteering at our children’s school or a non-profit we support.
Yet, how many of us slink away from our work responsibilities, hoping no one notices? Each time we do so, we miss an opportunity to leave loudly and tell people why we’re heading out or going to be unavailable for a while. To set an example that it’s okay (and frequently required) to prioritize personal needs and our health and to utilize flexible, family-friendly policies.
Here’s one way to do it. Recently on Twitter, Dr. Félix Manuel Chinea shared:
“I regularly go to therapy
The time is blocked on my work calendar and it’s public for anyone to seeI’ve never regretted it and highly recommend we continue normalizing mental health as a priority. These are not easy times and it helps us show up better for each other”
We can all normalize taking advantage of benefits and flexible work arrangements by being transparent about it on our calendar or with a Slack status or out-of-office automated email response. For example,
- “Working remotely to care for a sick child”
- “OOO volunteering today”
- “Meeting with my therapist”
- “At home waiting for a plumber”
- “On parental leave”
(That last one is crucial for guys to be loud about. Many American men don’t take advantage of it, perhaps over concerns they’ll be seen as less committed employees. The more men taking parental leave, the more accepted it will be.)
3. Don’t justify bad behavior
Here’s another Tweet that caught my attention this past week. It’s from Dr. XImani E. McElroy, who describes herself as a queer, Black, female surgeon:
“Lol just had a patient tell me Black women can’t be surgeons and he wanted to talk to the real doctor and the hospitalist justified it by saying ‘well he’s old he doesn’t know better’
File this under things not to do when patients are racist.”
When the chief of surgery found out, he told the patient that his behavior was unacceptable and wouldn’t be tolerated, asked the entire department to reinforce this message, and spoke to the hospitalist in the room that day. As McElroy explained, “The response was swift, appropriate, and most importantly not swept under the rug.”
Allies, first of all, let’s not justify someone’s racist or otherwise discriminatory statements with “well, he doesn’t know better” or its cousin, “I’m sure he didn’t mean any harm.” Secondly, if we hear someone else condoning biased behavior, let’s speak up. Like that chief of surgery.
4. Realize “disability” is not a bad word
Here in the U.S., July is Disability Pride Month, celebrating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), designed to prohibit discrimination against people living with disabilities. It seems like a good time to highlight something I’ve shared in a past newsletter: It’s okay to say the word “disabled.”
The first deafblind person to graduate from Harvard Law School, Haben Girma is now a human rights lawyer advancing disability justice. Last year, Girma posted a helpful reminder:
“If you say I have special needs, I’ll assume you’re referring to my need for fresh-picked figs. I’m a Californian & this is non-negotiable. But if you’re not referring to figs, then just say the word: #disabled. Euphemisms only fuel ableism. #Disability is not a dirty word.”
Great advice for allies everywhere.
p.s. You may have noticed that I’m using both person-first language (“people living with disabilities”) and identify-first language (“deafblind person”). Read more about this topic on the National Aging and Disability Transportation Center blog.
5. Avoid the term “able-bodied”
In honor of Disability Pride Month, here’s one more suggestion from my newsletter archives.
Last year, I was reviewing how I described my privilege in my book Better Allies. Here’s what I found: “My personal experience as a white, straight, cisgender, able-bodied woman…”.
I cringed when I read “able-bodied.” I cringed again when I searched the book and realized I had used it four times.
What’s the problem with that term? Since writing Better Allies, I’ve learned that “able-bodied” can imply that people with disabilities lack “able bodies” or the ability to use their bodies well.
The National Center on Disability and Journalism recommends these alternatives in their style guide: “non-disabled,” “does not have a disability,” or “is not living with a disability.”
I now describe myself as someone who is not living with a disability. (Well, until that changes. As the World Health Organization explains, “Almost everyone is likely to experience some form of disability — temporary or permanent — at some point in life.”)
That’s all for this week. I wish you strength and safety as we all move forward.
— Karen Catlin (she/her), Author of Better Allies®
Copyright © 2022 Karen Catlin. All rights reserved.
I wrote this article in what is now called Burlingame, California. It is on Ohlone territory.
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