I've been reflecting the past few days on the Race Table Talks session I attended on Saturday facilitated by Laurabel Mba Consulting. Most of us didn't know each other. We came together, as a group of white women, nervous yet eager to participate in a conversation that challenged our inner biases and opened our minds to the racism that persists within ourselves and our communities. Although uncomfortable at times, it was an incredible experience and I strongly recommend all white folx attend. I'm committed to continuing the work to make myself a better ally to the racialized people in my community. We are each born color blind, our stereotypes and biases are learned and deeply engrained. We cannot call ourselves DEI advocates, if we are not intentional about interrupting the cycle in ourselves, our workplaces and most importantly our children. Laurabel will tell you that her son is what inspired her to take on this work, she has inspired me to do better for my son. How do I react when a family member says something racist? I learned the questions to ask myself on if, when and how I should address this with them. What pre-conceived assumptions do I carry that are incorrect? I learned that being racist is not the worst thing. It is an opportunity for acknowledgment and learning, so that tomorrow I will do better. As a business leader, how do I ensure I am fostering a safe an inclusive workplace for our racialized team members? It requires intentional, consistent and continuous effort to make DEI an expected and demonstrable value of our organization. As the mother a Inuk child, I think often about the racism my child will face throughout his life. I will never fully understand his experience or be able to protect him from the injustices he will face. He is a different color than me, when people learn he is adopted, people most commonly say, "He is so lucky". They carry preconceived assumptions and biases about the life he might have had in his Inuit community. I carried them too before his adoption. I know now how wrong they are and am committed to advocating for the empowerment, fair treatment and reconciliation of Indigenous peoples. Follow Laurabel Mba Consulting for enlightenment, education and updates on future events.
Big thanks to everyone who joined Saturday’s Race Table Talks session! Your dedication to self-education and confronting inner biases is instrumental in fostering inclusive and safer environments for racialized individuals within our communities. If you couldn’t make it, fret not! Stay tuned to our social media channels for updates on our upcoming sessions.
