It's Time to Talk about Race at Work

CHAPTER 8How to Talk about Race in Helpful and Positive Ways: Do's and Don'ts

Discussing race and obstacles to equity can be a very sensitive, touchy subject. And unlike other issues at work that you have to resolve and work through, this is about people. It's not like a software glitch, or a shipment delay, or a sales shortfall that you can tackle with a few team meetings and then move on to the next task. You have to start by talking about something that very few of us know how to discuss. It terrifies us.

HOW TO TALK ABOUT RACE WHEN—EEK!—IT IS SO HARD!

For most White people, the subject of race is incredibly uncomfortable to talk about because we have no skills in this area. We weren't taught how to do it. In fact, most of us were probably taught not to discuss race. The subject of race was taboo, even if we didn't understand why. Consequently, we learned to be a little afraid, or at least nervous, about broaching the subject.

While it feels weird to talk about race at work, it also feels weird to ignore it. Cheik Mboun, president of Edible Arrangements, says, “You spend so much energy working together, you can't not talk about it. If I'm feeling it [the unspoken tension], I'm sure others are feeling the same thing, so why not talk about it? The fear of what could go wrong is too minuscule in comparison to the fear of what may happen if people hold it within themselves.”

John Page, chief corporate social responsibility officer and legal officer of Golden State Foods, a ...