The VIP Lab

If the words “If you’d just comply, you’d have nothing to worry about” has come out of your mouth or has crossed your mind or has been something you have agreed with someone else saying, you are NOT an ally.

Start over. Do better. Listen more. Talk less.

Dear :
The next few weeks are going to be tough for Black folks during this trial; especially those here in the Twin Cities. If you want to truly show , do them a solid & heed this advice:
1. Give them room to process: If they aren’t talking about it, don’t pry. That said, it’s okay to extend a sincere gesture of concern in asking “How can I best support you right now?”
2. Stand in the gap: Execs/peers/etc may be critical if they're distracted/unproductive/hypersensitive/etc. Have their back. It’s a very difficult time for them. Use your ordinary privilege as a superpower & stand-up to protect their jobs.
3. Fight the trolls: Black folks don’t have the energy to defend George Floyd’s honor & character. They don’t have the headspace to argue the obvious fact that a knee to the neck kills regardless of blood toxicity. Speak up & let your white brethren know that you aren’t going to let them go unchecked.
4. Make your word matter & keep alive: Keep posting and if you get one of those trolls trying to make you parse between the hashtag, let them know you support all of it. Don’t relent. Don’t be trapped by someone’s narrative or FoxNews trickery. full stop.

Here’s why calling out and learning about is important: This incident happened 7 years ago and it’s impacting a decision for an organization and a professional today.

Words and actions matter. How you show up and how you treat people of color matters. How you see, or don’t see, people of color matters. How you treat people of color who are leaders in your organizations and communities, yep, you guessed it, it matters.

Remember that.

Tegna CEO Apologizes for Mistaking Black Board Nominee as Valet The chief executive officer of Tegna Inc. apologized for an incident in which he mistook a Black lawyer and professor -- who later became a candidate for the company’s board -- as a hotel car valet.