Sitting down With Indira Bimont on Diversity Accountability
It’s been nearly a year of momentum for Black Lives following the 2020 reckoning that grabbed America by the cojones. As a creative marketer, I’ve been exhausted with the amount of Adweek headlines that tell another story about a new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion appointment. They fail to provide any details that back up the impact that I know creative BIPOC people in America need. It’s like that saying my grandmother would say “mucha espuma y poco chocolate”which essentially means- a lot of talk with very little action. The amount of B.S. that we’ve seen “fake” woke brands get away with is why we need all hands on deck. Like Vogue, on having worked with their first black cover photographers until September 2020.
While the headlines have been useful PR moves for companies seeking to keep their names relevant during this time - if the diversity problem isn’t fixed at the root - then quite frankly I will remain unimpressed.
Now, I won’t discredit the amazing organizations and movements that have come out this time like Brother Vellies Founder, Aurora James 15% Pledge, which is holding retail brands accountable on their diversity statements by bringing in 15% of black owned brands to their shelves. The amount of progress that we’ve accomplished by keeping our foot on corporate America’s neck is historically unmatched; textbook worthy if you ask me.
The continuation of BIPOC history should create opportunities for diversity, inclusion and equity in the ways that we know we need. How do we dismantle the oppressive power dynamics that have been established at institutions to keep us small? Keep us quiet and silenced. How can organizations get rid of executives who don’t want the diversity and equity in their two year plan, not five? How can we push companies to revisit the values they claim but don’t align with? All these questions led me to chat with one of the brightest Afro-Latina women I know, Indira Bimont.
What can we all do from a diversity standpoint in our place of work, even if we aren't in the D&I department, to bring up changes we wish to see?
Joining an employee resource group is one-way folks can continue to impact change in their place of work. Still, I want to call out the cynicism I have encountered from people who engage with these groups. In my coaching practice, I have heard ample stories of folks who get involved in ERG's and affinity groups at work and later find that initiatives discussed at the ERG level are deprioritized or under resourced against other organizational goals and/or perhaps the conversations are not taking on the level of depth necessary. I think it's important to validate how disheartening this can feel and remind folks that this is a marathon. Our fight for dignity and workplace equity is ongoing despite how futile it may feel at times. We have to continue to show up, apply pressure, and take action.
If you find yourself in one of these groups, feeling discouraged about progress not made, a lack of programming resources, feeling disempowered by your team for being involved and taking time out of other work commitments, as examples, engage your DEIB or HR leadership and share your concerns. ERG members should be given the resources needed to impact change, and they should also receive professional recognition and support for the work they are doing.
Call out inequity in processes. Ask yourself often, why are we doing things this way? Who is being left out? What perspective are we missing? If you think changes need to be made, take the agency to make those changes or identify and engage stakeholders and those who have the authority to make necessary changes.
Highlight how bias can creep into the performance management and development process. The performance management process is often rife with bias. If you notice this could be the case at your organization, apply pressure and ask your HR business partner to share what the org is doing to ensure that the performance management process is equitable and what their retention strategy is. Also, ask about the developmental opportunities available to BIPoC employees across the organization and take advantage of them if you qualify.
Call-out or call-in behavior that is harmful in the moment. Get comfortable with the discomfort of calling people out. If the behavior is out of line, we can stand firm in saying things like, "I did not find that joke funny." If the behavior was more of a micro-aggression than an assault, call-in by asking questions like, "what did you mean by that?" Let's say the aggressor is a leader or a manager, and you fear retribution. Asking them open-ended questions so that they can reflect on their own behaviors might be the safer strategy in the moment, i.e., "When you were having that conversation with Amy, I noticed her body language shifted, and I wanted to check in with you, did you notice that as well?"
Take care of yourself. Know your boundaries and exercise them. If something feels off, trust your instincts and seek the advice of trusted folks in the organization to help you decide what action is most appropriate to take. Get to know the DEIB leaders in your organization. They can serve as important allies, and your experiences are beneficial to them in their important work.
In town halls or conversations with HR or DEIB leaders at your organization, ask what the strategy is for hiring and promoting more Black folks and hold them accountable to previous goals. Seek out the data of recent hires by demographics and use it. I.e., "The last town hall, we made a commitment to hiring x% of Black folks by x date. The latest data shows we missed the mark by x%. Why did we miss the mark, and what is the current strategy to achieve that % increase?
Lastly, shout out BIPoC folks across the organization. Give ample recognition every chance you get. Talk about the great work your Black and brown colleagues are doing. Amplify them and their ideas.
These are just some ideas of how to stay activated in the workplace.
How can we get our co-workers to unpack their biases? Or our friends?
Leaving behind the oppressive emails and institutionalized biases at the workplace.
If we aren't holding each other accountable at the interpersonal level, how can we dismantle inequity at the systemic level? It's so important to call out bias.
As mentioned above, when we call-out or call-in, people are nudged to reflect on their behaviors, and when we don't take action to call-out or call-in, we send the signal that the behavior can persist. In other words, inaction is complicit.
Also, these kinds of conversations give way to learning moments. Speak to what you know or what you have learned and help to educate the people around you. People in our family and friend networks can perpetuate harmful ideas. It's important to have those difficult discussions while being considerate of your boundaries.
You believe in the need to reinforce inclusion as a core principle of all learning and development initiatives. How do you teach organizations to implement inclusion in their workplace and organizations?
Belonging needs to be prioritized at the highest level. Ultimately, organizations are people coming together to solve problems.
To do that effectively, a sense of belonging needs to be cultivated in every facet of an organization.
If we aren't thinking about belonging, it will affect how talent is recruited and developed, the products and services produced and who they serve, how work is done, and the climate and culture. Belonging is a pillar of leadership and humanity in action, not some side initiative and a couple of training interventions.
Belonging is at the center of everything. Every training initiative that I take on, whether it's teaching leaders how to give great feedback, coach others, manage their energy effectively, or anti-racism, we always touch on how identity can impact how we relate to and exclude others. An incomplete discussion, in my view, is one where we do not touch on our differences and center the reality of anti-Black racism and the insidious ways it can show up in an internalized way, in our relationships, and systemically.
I partner with organizations to think through and strengthen their belonging strategies and to cultivate ongoing learning interventions. I also provide 1to1 coaching at the management level to coach folks through their DEIB journey. The most important part of my work is supporting BIPoC leaders and helping folks navigate the literal trauma caused by neglectful and racist workplaces.
Indira Bimont
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