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What Did I Miss?

Dear <<First Name>>,

One of my favorite scenes in the Broadway / Disney+ hit Hamilton is a song called “What’d I miss?”  I like to belt it out ... unfortunately for those around me! 

In this month's issue of Dear Good People, that's our theme song:  what did I miss?
Scene from Hamilton, the musical. Daveed Diggs, playing Thomas Jefferson in a long purple velvet jacket, stands in front of several actors.

 

One Year Ago

I started this newsletter soon after the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020.  Many of us were looking for a way to learn and do more.  Whether we had been long aware of racism or were just noticing it for the first time, it was time to pay even closer attention.  What did I miss?  The question took on new meaning as we noticed how much work needed to be done.

For the first issue of Dear Good People, just a few hundred of you were subscribers.  Since then, largely thanks to your word of mouth, thousands more of you have subscribed.  We have tackled topics like racism, sexism, ableism, and more. Dear Good People has grown into something far beyond what I originally expected.  Together, we are trying to be good-ish people always asking ourselves, "What did I miss?"  We are striving to be the people we mean to be (or, the people our pets think we are).

Dolly Chugh hugging and kissing her adorable black and white Boston terrier Cocoa Bean

This Week

This Tuesday, we will commemorate the anniversary of George Floyd's death.  I will be holding his family - especially his young daughter - in my prayers.  As they commemorate his passing, I am using this moment to reflect on what I have learned and done over the past year, and to commit to learning more and doing more in the future.  



There has been so much important content produced in this past, very difficult year (and before). I know I have missed a lot.  In particular, this week, I will be checking out:


- A BET series starting Tuesday evening, featuring a night of musical tributes followed by two nights of analysis and reflection

- A Minneapolis Public Radio series, including a personal remembrance of Floyd through those who knew him and a reflection of what has changed in how we talk about racism 

- An explainer of the not-yet-passed-in-Congress George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and its shortfalls in addressing root causes

- A series of anniversary pieces in the New York Times, including a call from Rev. Dr. William Barber II for a Third Reconstruction

Everything in One Place

I suspect many of us are recommitting to learning more and doing more.  For that effort, I have consolidated all of the Dear Good People issues in one handy place.  Wondering what you missed before you signed up?  Want to catch up on issues you didn't have a chance to read?  Meaning to re-read something?  I've got you covered.  Below you will find snippets from each month, with links to the full issues. 


Issue 1:  The 10% More Rule (June 2020)

Black mother hugging her black son at a protest
Like you, I want to do the work for racial justice. Yet, I confess, doing the work sometimes feels like a lot (even though I study and teach others about race and bias!). How do we stick with it? To help us stick with it, I propose The 10% More Rule to guide us as we exit the frenetic month of June 2020. Research on goal-setting emphasizes the importance of goals which are both challenging and attainable. I like 10% as a goal.  This issue continues here.
 

Issue 2:  Five Ways You Can Respond When People Post Racist Stuff (July 2020)

3 face emojis under the phrase "UGH Comments" - one that is a flat embarrassed smile and says "Unintentional", one is an angry face that says "Galling" and one is an angry face with swear symbols over the mouth that says "hateful"
The internet is a dumpster fire. Forget about the bots, I’m talking about real people … people you work with, live near, went to school with, or are friends-of-friends with. Those people sometimes say awful things, ranging from unintentional to galling to hateful, what I call “UGH” comments. Whether you are hooked on social media, invested in election news, or working in a virtual world, these internet dumpster fires and their UGH sparks create toxic fumes you can not avoid. And if you are a member of a group prone to be targeted, dehumanized, or belittled on the internet — such as black people — the UGH sparks leave burns.  This issue continues here.
 

Issue 3:  15 Tips for More Inclusive Virtual Meetings (August 2020)

Fisher Price game: Soul Crushing Meeting
Whether you are running the meeting or just participating in it, there are ways to make it better and more inclusive. And, believe it or not, in some ways, that’s easier to do on virtual platforms. So, while many of us are stuck on our screens, let’s make the most of it and use some of the unique features offered by virtual platforms for better inclusion.  This issue continues here.
 

Issue 4:  I May Be an Anti-Racist But I’m Still an Ableist (September 2020)

Drawing of 3 people in a triangle labeled the "D-I-S Spiral" One person says Shame over it, one person says "Inaction" and one reads "Denial"
Many years ago, I began the hard work of confronting my own racism and sexism. That means fighting my natural responses of defensiveness, inaction, and shame — what I call the D-I-S Spiral — that come with a fixed mindset. I’d almost forgotten how difficult it is to begin the work of shifting to a growth mindset. Then, this summer, I re-discovered that fixed mindset. Why? I discovered I’m an ableist.  This issue continues here.
 

Issue 5:  Meet Cocoa Bean, Our New Puppy (October 2020)

An adorable black and white Boston terrier stares into the camera endearingly.
In this month’s newsletter, I offer a simple, powerful tool for staying engaged in the tough issues and hard work related to being good-ish, even (especially!) when we feel overwhelmed. The tool I am sharing is a widely-used productivity method called the Pomodoro Method. I want to convince you that science shows that it is as effective as a puppy in lowering your blood pressure and more effective than a puppy at actually getting things done (note: I made up this puppy vs pomo study finding, but someone should prove me wrong).  This issue continues here.
 

Issue 6:  No Justice, No Joy? (November 2020)

A young Indian girl with a pensive expression wearing a white blouse outside.

My mother has long observed that I “think too much.” A friend once said that I can suck the joy out of any experience. My husband occasionally recalls “vacation Dolly” like she was a carefree stranger we once met far from home. None of them are wrong. No doubt, I am also a friendly, positive person who loves to laugh. It’s just that my default mode is intensity. I’ve always been like this, since I was this kid with the rockin’ hairdo who asked for file cabinets in school colors for her 12th birthday (still have them).  This issue continues here.
 

Issue 7:  Our Best of 2020 (December 2020)

Small black and white Boston terrier on rug staring at bubbles with its mouth open
I procrastinated launching this newsletter for over a year.  

People I respect in the publishing world kept urging me to do it because book readers like to hear from authors between books.  Newsletters allow for a more intimate author/reader relationship, they explained.  Especially given the work I do on diversity, inclusion, racism, and unconscious biases, it was important to speak in and about today’s times. The work of being a teacher, author, and scholar is no longer solely about classrooms, books, and journal articles.

I know, I know.  But … does anyone need more emails in their inbox?  This issue continues here.  
 

Issue 8:  Four Things That Make You Say .... Hmmm (January 2021)

Comic Arsenio Hall with his finger on his forehead standing in front of a purple background.
What if our pets ran the world? Would cuddling be the new 9-5? Would belly rubs be the standard office greeting? Would treats be the currency of exchange? These what-if “mental gymnastics” are known as thought experiments. Philosophers and physicists use thought experiments when a question cannot be answered through an actual experiment in the real world. Instead, thought experiments are  “devices of the imagination” which tap into our intuitive ability to play out “make-believes” in our minds.  

Thought experiments are fun, easy, and intuitive. They are things that make you say hmmm (some might remember Arsenio Hall’s trademark move). They help us notice things, which makes them useful in building our equity and inclusion muscles. Noticing is essential to seeing the systemic issues which surround us but sometimes escape our notice. Let’s use recent events to try this out.  This issue continues here.  
 

Issue 9:  I Still Have My First Laptop From 1992 (February 2021)

cute black and white dog stands in front of an old laptop lying on the floor
Given that I still have my Macintosh Powerbook 170, I giggled when I read this line in Adam Grant’s excellent new bestseller, Think Again. He writes, “We laugh at people who still use Windows 95, yet we still cling to opinions that we formed in 1995.” Well, at least I am no longer using that laptop. But ... it is still gathering dust and taking up space just a few feet from my desk because … nostalgia?  (Query: does anyone have Marie Kondo’s cell?). The point in Think Again was that often our ideas need to be upgraded, just like our technology. As I read the book, my mind wandered to the Me Too Movement, founded by Tarana Burke. This movement helped many of us realize that we have allowed antiquated, wrongheaded ideas about sexual assault and rape to take up mental space and gather dust.  This issue continues here.
 

Issue 10:  Celebrity Pop Quiz (March 2021)

 

A collage of seven different well-known celebrities: Lucy Liu, Jude Law, Randall Park, Awkwafina,  Gal Gadot, and others
Quick, how many Americans are in this picture?
Did you spot the four born-and-raised Americans?  Or, did you get tripped up in the America = White stereotype, like me? Professors Thierry Devos and Mahzarin Banaji used images similar to these in their “American = White” studies. Study participants categorized celebrities as American or Foreign at rapid speed. Even when the Asian-Americans were n-th generation-U.S. citizens and the White-Europeans were not, an “American = White” implicit association emerged. Notably, this is not how study participants responded when given time to formulate an explicit, more deliberative response. Dr. Banaji often refers to our implicit associations as the thumbprints of the culture around us. Lately, I have been thinking a lot about that American = White fingerprint, in light of the spike in bias, hate, and violence against the Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI, often referred to as Asian-American) communities during the pandemic.  This issue continues here.
 

Issue 11:  So Many Books, So Little Time (April 2021)

Drawing of a stack of books about race and racism

Books have always played an important role in the work of anti-racism and anti-bias. Non-fiction deepens our knowledge and broadens our perspectives. Fiction focused on character development unlocks the inner lives and outer circumstances of others, deepening our empathy.  Fighting bias in and around us requires that we be lifelong learners.  While reading does not replace action, it can inform and inspire action, which is why I often recommend books in this newsletter.

Still, during the workload, loss, grief, and stress of the past year, many of our books have become laptop stands, background bookshelf fillers, and guilt triggers.  I can relate.  This issue continues here.
 

More to come

What did you miss?  That brings you up to date on Dear Good People!  For the coming year, I will continue to bring you bite-sized, evidence-based, action-oriented advice each month.  Be sure to add newsletter@dollychugh.com to your address book so nothing lands in spam.  If you’ve been looking for an opportunity to introduce Dear Good People to other folks, this is a good issue to share, as it’s got a bit of everything (scroll down for links to forward or post).  Let's keep missing less, while learning and doing more.

Thanks for growing with me,

Dolly ChughDolly Chugh

 


This month's artwork credits from top: Katie Sutton (logo), Jeana Marinelli (books), Joan Marcus (Hamilton cast), Maya Chugh Singh (Dolly and Cocoa), Floyd family (George Floyd and daughter Gianna), Nechirwan Kavian (masked at protest), Evelyn Parker (graphic), Adam Padilla (meetings), Evelyn Parker (graphic), Maya Chugh Singh (Cocoa close up), Chugh Family (young Dolly), Maya Chugh Singh (Cocoa with bubbles), comicbooksdaily.com (Arsenio), Evelyn Parker (celebrity montage), Jane Mount (book illustration), Brett Topel (Dolly by signature)

I thank Evelyn Parker, Belinda Li and Katie Sutton for their work bringing Dear Good People to life over the past year. May Chester rest in peace.

Dolly Chugh is the Jacob B. Melnick Term Professor at the New York University Stern School of Business in the Department of Management and Organizations. She studies the psychology of good people and teaches leadership/management courses. All views are her own.

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