Most white people do not understand their “white privilege.” I include myself in that category. Through reflection and dialogue with non-white people, I feel that I am understanding my privilege more and more. But I know that I don’t fully get it. The difficulty for many of us white people is that we don’t see it playing out through our lives. It’s just the life we … [Read more...] about The White Privilege Secret
ethics
Be Part of the Solution, Part II
“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” -Bishop Desmond Tutu As a follow-up to last week’s blog encouraging us all to be part of the solution to the many problems our country has with institutionalized, systemic racism, I have a special message now for my white brothers and sisters. Everyone else can read along. It … [Read more...] about Be Part of the Solution, Part II
The End of Racism
Wow - what a bold title for a blog. What kind of a world do you want to live in? Would you like to live in a world without racism? I know that I would! While it is a very aspirational vision and will likely take a lot of time to get there, it is important to start taking steps in that direction. One thing we can do is to learn a lot more about racism. The better we … [Read more...] about The End of Racism
Be Careful When Looking for an “Edge”
Of course you want an “edge.” Life is competitive. In business, you want the extra sale. In nonprofits, you want to raise the additional dollars. In sports, you want to win. Our small college swim team was always looking for an edge. We would train twice a day for much of the year to get better. At the end of the year for the big meets, we would shave our bodies … [Read more...] about Be Careful When Looking for an “Edge”
The Courage to Speak Up
You see something at your organization that is just not right. Maybe it is a problem that everyone is ignoring, but the big bosses could be upset if you say something. Or maybe it is an ethical issue that you think needs to be seriously addressed. But what would be the reaction if you say something? We all know stories of whistleblowers or change agents who Speak Up – and … [Read more...] about The Courage to Speak Up