TOGETHER, WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE: A 12-Step Plan to Address Racism and Unconscious Bias Kimberly Ellison-Taylor, CPA, CGMA
Tragic, sad, and unbelievable are just a few of the words to describe COVID-19. Those words apply as well to the most recent events involving Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Christian Cooper, and George Floyd. The events involving Black and African Americans have been hurtful, shocking, and polarizing.
Over the years, Black and African Americans were cautiously optimistic when the CEO said, “Inclusion is important.” However, if my mom was right and “love is as love does,” we needed more than words. We need specific plans with accountability with expected outcomes to address racism and unconscious bias.
But here is where the similarities stop. With the COVID-19 pandemic, there is targeted funding, expected outcomes, and accountability, as well as the best and the brightest minds working together on treatment plans and a vaccine. With over 100,000 pandemic-related deaths in the United States (as of this writing) and more expected, COVID-19 requires a basic understanding of the threat, consistent safety precautions, individual accountability, and new thinking about how we work and interact.
The pain pouring out over the past days is a consequence of an agony that permeates every aspect of our lives — writing a check in the grocery store and being asked for ID when no else is, being looked over for promotions, and or even having others cross the street to avoid you. The statements issued by business leaders have been beautiful and well written. But are they just words?
"Progress won’t be made overnight, but our resolve must be unwavering..."
We need similar resources and focus to address the consequences of systemic racism and unconscious bias. Instead, in the prepandemic environment, we noted more than a few cases of “changing direction” in diversity and inclusion with less funding, reduced head count, and less organization-wide emphasis. Further, in many instances, diversity and inclusion was managed far below the top leadership, and its approach has been mostly risk-management-based, with a focus on what “not to do” rather than how to achieve lasting change.
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The Washington CPA Fall 2020
In the Black and African American community, along with the guidance to “avoid the police,” “never leave the store without a receipt or bag, even for gum,” and “never walk with your hood up,” we have added another one: “Make sure you get it on video.”
The frequency of tragic events has accelerated to a level we can no longer ignore, a point where sleeping at home in bed, visiting friends, taking an afternoon jog, going into your own home, or visiting a park to bird-watch are not safe. What’s different now is the cumulative effect of horrific videos showing
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