I started listening to The Body Is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love by Sonya Renee Taylor yesterday and I can already recommend it. I first heard Sonya speak on the Unlocking Us podcast and have had the title on my reading list for a couple of months.
There’s one quote I wanted to pull out here today because it was hitting on something I was thinking about a lot yesterday in the context of work and creating a more diverse workplace. For all I love about my job and am proud of what I have built, we are still a predominantly white company so I’ve been trying to take a hard look at my part in enabling that and figure out how to attract and hire more people of color. Namely, that we still have a long way to go to openly having conversations about race, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Anyway, this passage talking about “color blindness” stood out to me:
When we say we don’t see color, what we are truly saying is, “I don’t want to see the things about you that are different because society has told me they are dangerous or undesirable.” Ignoring difference does not change society; nor does it change the experiences non-normative bodies must navigate to survive. Rendering difference invisible validates the notion that there are parts of us that should be ignored, hidden, or minimized, leaving in place the unspoken idea that difference is the problem and not our approach to dealing with difference.
I place it here as a reminder to myself. As a reminder to do better at intentionally holding space for diversity at work.
With Love,
Natalie