You will get it wrong, you will stuff up but it’s important to do something...
I often try and recall the things I’ve come across during a week, as a way of capturing my thoughts and stories of the day-to-day. Whether it’s a quick note on my iPhone or an entry in my paper journal. I am a lifelong learner and my curiosity is constantly being piqued by all sorts of things. I am the sort of person who will lie awake wondering about random things — like if you and your family were in a cult and you gave them all your money / possessions and you drank the Kool-aid and you and everyone you know died, does the government then pay for your burial plot and associated expenses? (I’m sure this annoys my husband at times, who is often on the cusp of sleep when I decide to share my thoughts.)
This morning I was pondering the things that I came across this week and a few stood out:
· That the human brain gets sent 11 million bits of information per second (!!). The brain will process around 50 of these.
· That kangaroos can’t jump backward, but instead need to turn to reverse
· That during the period of ancient Egypt around 70 million mummies were made
· That if you earn more than $150K pa you’re in the top 5% of Australians
· That when you die your ashes can be made into a pearl which is added into the ocean floor to help generate life (soooo fascinating!).
Amongst all the conversations I had, the words I read in books / online, the shows I’ve watched and the Zoom calls I took part in over the last seven days, one comment really stood out:
“If you have a choice whether or not you want to deal with racism, then you are white.”
This was during a podcast interview with the amazing Jolinda Johnson, wellness mentor and priestess.
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I’ve been thinking a LOT about Jolinda’s statement, not only this week but for the last few years, having heard similar statements made many times before.
Next month will mark one year since George Perry Floyd Jnr. was killed in the US and the resurgence of news, conversations and actions about racism and inequality globally, rose up.
I, like many small business owners around the world, vowed to do more. To unlearn so many things and to put in the resource (finances, time) in to learn and change. And I did...to a degree.
In my own business I have always looked at ways I can help challenge and change things, but in 2020 I promised to do more - as a white woman who has been the recipient of SO MUCH privilege. Part of this has been paying diversity experts for their time and learning HOW much I have yet to learn and comprehend, as well as what can be done to elicit change. Part of it has been writing blog articles and airing podcast episodes that speak to what small business owners can do to help aid equality for all. Part of this has been donating monthly to causes that help ignite conversations and support BIPOC. Part of it has been really understanding things like Welcome to Country and doing the research into the various stances from Indigenous Leaders on things like Australia Day, treaties and education.
There’s also been the reading of many books, participation in (paid) online courses on anti-racism, challenging small biz owners to think differently when it comes to model selection and recruitment, having conversations with friends (of all backgrounds) wherein everyone feels able to voice their feelings and really debate ideas, and also small things like making sure dates like NAIDOC Week, and Sorry Day, as well as Islamic, Jewish and Hindi religious dates are included in our marketing plan templates (rather than just Christian dates like Easter and Christmas).
And yet, I know there is so much more I could be doing.
And, like the comment this week so clearly states, I am only able to even consider these things being a choice, because of the skin colour I was born with.
So I wanted to share all of this today, six weeks out from the first anniversary of George Floyd’s death. I wanted to remind those of you who vowed to do more last year, to look at what you are doing and to re-commit to making change happen. Start small and stay consistent. I know some of us can shy away from doing things at all, as we feel it won’t make a difference, but small steps DO add up.
For anyone who is reading this who is BIPOC I would remind you to rest and to ask for help. The last 18 months have been incredibly hard for anyone in small business, but especially challenging for those of you who have also had to deal with the onslaught of trauma and the request for emotional labor that 2020 (and every other year) brought up. It may be joining up with social enterprises like We Are The Movement, seeking out a BIPOC counsellor or therapist (sites like Therapy for Black Girls or The Australian Indigenous Psychologists Association may help with this), or finding some sort of support group where you feel safe and seen.
For anyone who is reading this who is non-BIPOC, I would ask you to consider how you may be choosing comfort over courage and to look for ways that you can start showing up and supporting BIPOC so that the future is a place where everyone feels welcome, valued, seen and appreciated.
Small businesses fuel the entire economy. We can also elicit real change on a HUGE scale when we come together for the benefit of all.