A practical guide to address race in the workplace For too long the workplace has outsourced
the uncomfortable work of addressing systemic racism to the police politicians talk show
hosts celebrities red carpet sound bites and reality TV. It's time for change. The workplace
is the perfect place to constructively address race because it's where hundreds of thousands of
people gather daily to pursue a shared purpose. And it's often the first or only place people
interact with others from a different race or cultural background. Regardless of our
hierarchical position within an organization we each can take a stand. Systemic racism can
only be addressed with systemic change. But you can't solve what you can't talk about. Talking
about race in the workplace has been taboo for so long. That's why organizations must ready
their environments-at both the individual and enterprise levels-before diving headfirst. The
inner work of raising our own awareness and creating new ways of thinking and being and the
outer work organizations must perform to develop and implement strategies initiatives
policies and practices to reimagine a racially equitable workplace are journeys not programs.
The Business of Race is a practical guide for business leaders and employees alike who are
struggling with both how to talk about race and what to do about it. The book offers concrete
ways businesses large and small can make positive sustainable changes to bring more racial
diversity inclusion and equity to the workplace. Readers will learn more than a half-dozen
tools that bring an asset view of race rather than a deficit view such as SOAR and growth
mindset. Readers will also learn to reach for familiar tools they use nearly every day such as
strategic planning and project management to implement other priorities and apply them to the
deeply complex emotional and intimidating dynamic of race in the workplace. But don't confuse
accessibility with ease. This is hard work. Woven throughout are interviews from more than two
dozen business professionals across diverse industries fields and organizational levels.
Their stories are not meant to be formulaic. Rather they bring voice to the challenges and
opportunities businesses face everyday and give the reader the courage they need to embark on
or continue their own race journey.
