Thread by @shrutinha

I’ve heard white men who are strong allies in the fight against racism, believe they are doing the right thing in not standing for leadership positions, to make way for people of colour.
Maybe they are, or maybe not..
I would like to encourage them to think differently...

If its a position that will almost certainly be filled by a white man (look at the ad, pack, team diversity, recruitment approach), far better for it to be you, if you are going to champion equalities, dismantle structural & cultural barriers, open the gates to greater diversity.

Perhaps by you stepping into that role, we can accelerate change? Perhaps if you don’t, we’ll still be having the same conversation about lack of diversity next year, next decade...

In a society, where there are so many deep rooted attitudes, biases, structural and systemic barriers to dismantle, if an organisation is just applying usual practices with the same old conventional approaches by recruitment firms, things will not change.

I am throwing this out there as a tactic to consider as part of a bigger strategy to tackle racial inequalities. I am inspired by how Biden, an old white man ‘of the establishment’, is using his position in the US to dismantle structural racism, noting how

...hard, at this time, it was seen for a woman or person of colour to be made President. Biden is opening the gates for them and all minority groups, placing them in key positions in his administration, allowing them to be seen as the norm, and be a pipeline for the top job.

I know this might be a bit controversial. I am suggesting doing this in a targeted way. Get a sense of the attitudes first - towards equality diversity inclusion, in the organisation and in the recruitment approach.
Read what’s going on, then make your move.

@threadreaderapp unroll pls