1

Take action

I’m writing this week’s newsletter on February 1, the start of Black History Month here in the United States. As I learned from Nicole Cardoza in the Anti-Racism Daily newsletter:

“Congress passed ‘National Black History Month’ into law in 1986, proclaiming that ‘the foremost purpose of Black History Month is to make all Americans aware of this struggle for freedom and equal opportunity’.”

While becoming more aware of Black history in the U.S. is essential, we must also ensure our workplaces are genuinely equitable for Black employees.

In my newsletter last year, I shared five actions to take to celebrate Black History Month. Which one will you commit to doing?

Today, I have a few more actions to consider. Keep reading.

2

Build a safe space

A newsletter subscriber recently asked me for advice on how she could have responded when she witnessed harassment. Here’s what happened.

She was waiting to pick up an order at a restaurant when a Black man approached the counter to place his order. She explained, “The white restaurant worker at one point made fun of how the Black man was talking, something to the effect of ‘I don’t have <insert mimicked word here>.’”

She admits that she froze. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing and walked out of the restaurant, speechless. She shared, “I felt so bad for the man. He didn’t deserve that.”

She then asked me, “How can I be ready to respond the right way next time?”

As I read her email, I found myself wondering what I would do in the same situation, hoping I’d have the strength and courage to respond. Then I remembered an illustration for what to do when witnessing Islamophobic harassment, which explores how to build a safe place when someone is harassed in a public space.

After I sent it to her, she wrote back, “I love this. I know exactly what I would do now.”

How about you?

3

Disrupt inflating language

Once again, I’ve learned something from my friend and inclusive language expert, Dr. Suzanne Wertheim. Her latest post is about a linguistic distortion that creates serious problems for Black people at work: Inflating language.

Inflating language is when someone describes perfectly appropriate behavior so that it seems inappropriate or threatening—for example, calling someone “intimidating” for just working at their desk without smiling. Or saying someone is “aggressive” for politely disagreeing with a colleague.

As Dr. Wertheim wrote, “In my data collection, I’ve found that inflating language is applied most frequently to Black people and to female people, especially Black women.” She went on to explain, “These distortions affect hiring decisions, everyday interactions, work assignments, promotions, and more.”

Allies, let’s look out for inflating language in our workplace. Ask, “What makes you say that?” to get someone to confront their bias.

4

Endorse Black colleagues

When people ask me for an example of what it means to be an ally, I share the following story. It’s about a time when someone endorsed me, a white woman, and I believe it’s a powerful approach for supporting Black colleagues, too.

As you may know, I used to work in the tech industry, building software products at companies including Adobe. Soon after I joined Adobe, I attended an engineering leadership meeting with my manager, Digby Horner, a highly respected senior vice president. I remember hearing him say, “What I learned from Karen Catlin is the following …” He went on to summarize something I shared with him in a previous one-on-one meeting.

Digby took action as an ally, using his privilege to endorse me publicly. With this simple act, he helped me build credibility with my new colleagues. His shout-outs made a difference (and also made me feel great).

Sharing what you learned from someone is just one approach to support coworkers and boost their standing and reputation. Take a minute to reflect on how you express your support of Black colleagues today and how you might do even more of it.

5

Offer a competitive salary

(Note: I don’t know the candidate’s race in this story. I included it in today’s newsletter because Black workers in the U.S. tend to earn less than their white colleagues, and allies should take action to improve pay equity.)

A recruiter recently shared on LinkedIn that they offered a candidate a salary $45,000 less than the budget, explaining:

“I just offered a candidate $85,000 for a job that had a budget of $130,000.

I offered her that because that’s what she asked for and I personally don’t have the bandwidth to give lessons on salary negotiation.

Here’s the lesson: ALWAYS ASK FOR THE SALARY YOU WANT (DESERVE), no matter how large you think that might be. You never know how much money a company has to work with.”

As you might imagine, the recruiter received a lot of backlash for not just offering the candidate more.

While the recruiter may have saved the organization money in the short-term, the employee might not stick around if and when they discover the inequity. According to Gallop, the cost of replacing an employee can range from one-half to two times their annual salary.

Plus, offering a woman significantly less than the budget isn’t inclusive. As engineering leader Mekka Okereke responded on Twitter,

“I do not think it is possible for a company to build an inclusive workforce if salary negotiation is an important part of being paid fairly at hire.

This is not a *knowledge* gap for marginalized candidates. It’s a difference in how they are *treated*.”

Allies, let’s treat candidates with respect. Tell them the salary range for the position. Level them appropriately and fairly. And offer them a competitive salary.

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®