This Week's Opening Thought: June 28, 2022

This week’s (late) opening thought: If you’ve never taken a moment to understand some of the ins and outs of labor law, both state and federal, now is a great time to start diving in, especially if you’re a member of the Global Majority or a marginalized community. Not just for you but everyone in your workplace, community, and family.

There is a real possibility that with our current Supreme Court, things will get progressively worse for many people in this country, for Black and Brown folx, Indigenous folx, folx with uteruses, queer communities, and people of color. Suppose the “governance” of many of our rights, privileges, and bodily autonomy will be “handed” to the states. This opens the gateway to employers utilizing discriminatory practices to harm Black and Brown folx, marginalized communities, people with disabilities, queer identities, and anyone who isn’t on board with white supremacist ideology and weaponized Christian dogma. Most companies you work for already utilize illegal to borderline illegal labor practices. Imagine how “fun” these companies will be when Supreme Court rulings begin setting the stage for “diversity” to become legitimately synonymous with white women and equity and inclusion become illegal.

Every Supreme Court decision made over the coming years and decades will play out in our workplaces through policies, procedures, and managerial actions that discriminate against and actively and passively harm employees. Remember that these are the same folx claiming critical race theory is creating “anti-American sentiments that are making real Americans (read: white people) feel bad about being Americans.” These are the folx that has anger toward LGBTQIAA+ communities for merely existing and wanting human rights. These are the same decision-makers who have woven anti-Blackness into everything they do, every law they pass, and every precedent they dismantle and reset in their image. And remember that many white people and privileged Global Majority folx who support these harmful individuals with their votes and money own or have power positions in our workplaces. Because of this, we all need every bit of knowledge we can absorb to protect ourselves and the people in our lives, including labor law.

I’m not saying you need to be a labor law scholar. But I am saying that now is a great time to familiarize yourself with your state labor board’s website, your union structure and bylaws, and state and federal discrimination laws as they pertain to the workplace. Something seems fishy at work? Google that sh--. Then Google it again to double-check your work from reputable information sites. Go to those twice-a-year labor law update workshops that your managers, supervisors, and many of your HR folx in your company don’t attend. They’re some of the most reasonably-priced workshops you can attend. And if you’re privileged enough to work somewhere with a training and development budget? Use some of that money to attend workshops and trainings that will help you understand some of the details of employment law employees are never made privy to knowing. If you’re privileged enough to, pay for them out of your pocket, so your employer doesn’t try to add “caveats” to your attending, i.e., quid pro quo sh—like having to come back to work and give a presentation on the training you attended.

FYI: that quid pro quo stuff is pretty damn illegal. You have the right to attend workshops or trainings for personal and professional development and not have to do something in return just because a company is willing to pay for some or all of it. Google it.

Look, it’s getting increasingly ugly and dangerous out here, y’all. There are so many ways to protect ourselves and fight for our rights. Make sure you have a fighting chance not just in the community but in the workplace as well.

Monday's Opening Thought: June 19, 2022

This week’s opening thought: I’m posting this week’s opening thought this evening because tomorrow is the federally recognized Juneteenth which, for those not in the know, is a federal holiday in the United States (note: Juneteenth is technically today, June 19, but the U.S. and western culture love their bank holidays, so c’est la vie). I’ve got some pro wrestling to catch up on and some writing I want to dive into. As a Black person, a Black cis queer man, I’m taking tomorrow off from posting about and discussing the byproducts of this country’s original sins. I’m privileged to have tomorrow off to observe some of the rights and privileges that Black people have yet also have to continue fighting for in this country. I will use that privilege to rest and care for myself, so I can be present and charged for the many battles ahead. That’s my self-care. The truth is, my people deserve this day off. But if you’re white and privileged enough to be off tomorrow?

It’s not your day off.

You’ve got a lot of work to do, white people. You better spend tomorrow reflecting, learning, and educating yourself and the young white minds in your life. You should be thinking about how you can be a better co-worker, neighbor, and community member. Tomorrow is a great day for you to mull over how to be actionable and call in or call out those white people in your life and community causing harm to Black bodies. If you’re privileged enough to do so, you should be donating your time and/or money to Black causes and the Black communities in your city. Why?

Because it’s not your day off.

If you’re a white person, you have no reason to “celebrate” Juneteenth. What the Hell are you celebrating? “The contributions of Black people?” “The history of Black achievements in the United States?” You realize those contributions and impacts happened despite your ancestors and the systems you still benefit from every day, right? Y’all do realize that you perpetuate those oppressive states by not stepping up and breaking the cycles of white generational trauma connected to colonialism and white supremacy, don’t you? With all that said, what makes you think Juneteenth is something you get to celebrate? What are you celebrating even? Chattel slavery? Colonialism? White supremacy? Anti-Blackness? Do you believe white people deserve tomorrow off with the ways most of you consciously and unconsciously practice anti-Blackness at work, at home, and in the communities you live in?

It’s not your day off, white people. It’s tasteless for you to treat it as such.

Better get to sleep early tonight so you can get to work bright and early tomorrow.

Monday's Opening Thought: June 13, 2022

This week’s opening thought, for recruiters and HR folx who handle in-house recruiting for an organization: Why are you still asking candidates for a list of references? Did you not get enough of a vibe of how a candidate can impact your workplace from the questions you asked during the interviews? Are you uncomfortable with trusting your intuition or unpacking and addressing your biases? Do you not trust what candidates share with you? Why are you still asking candidates if you can contact their current employer for a reference? Why are you insisting that candidates submit only manager/supervisor references? Why are you asking candidates for references if you’re going to do a background check?

Take a minute and mull over those questions. Then check yourself because you’re likely trying to justify your actions.

The truth is, reference checks are confirmation bias incarnate. You’re not getting anything from a candidate’s references that you wouldn’t get from the answers to well-crafted human-centered interview questions, conversations with candidates, and background checks. All you’re seeking is “confirmation” of your biases.

You’re wasting time and you’re doing harm.

You’re adding more hurdles for marginalized folx and people of color to overcome just to gain employment opportunities and career advancement.

Do you ever stop to think that a lot of folx, especially marginalized folx, Black and Brown folx, and people of color, could face retaliation or unemployment if their current employer finds out they’re looking for a new job? Or how many of us have worked for toxic employers that wouldn’t think twice about giving us a negative reference if you call them?

Of course, you don’t. You don’t wanna rock the boat of that white supremacist patriarchal workplace ideology, do you?

Recruiters gon’ recruit.

On Stereotypes, AAPI Communities, Generational Trauma, and Divisions Created by White Supremacy

I want to take a minute today to touch on anti-Blackness from AAPI communities operating within the confines of white supremacist ideology. And I'm only going to take a minute because I have better things to do with my time and energy today than to unpack all of this for free.

Many people of color, a lot of folx from AAPI communities, have demonstrated their anti-Blackness to me or in front of me on numerous occasions. They tend to jump on my posts about my experiences with racism and white supremacy and aim to check or educate me. The goal is to silence me or scold me. If I'm honest, these incidents are pretty regular occurrences, and there are too many to count. While white folx tend to be the largest segment of people who wield their white supremacy to "check me," the runners-up are Japanese, Korean, and Chinese professionals. I talk more about the anti-Blackness I receive from white folx than from Japanese, Korean, and Chinese communities, as white comments and incidents are daily and Japanese, Korean, and Chinese comments and incidents are weekly. But we're going to talk about it today because I woke up to the post you see below this morning in response to Monday’s opening thought post.

I know the "model minority" myth and the pain it has caused for so many AAPI communities. I understand, and I'm always learning more layers of the generational trauma that many AAPI communities are grappling with at the hands of white supremacy. I also know how many folx from AAPI communities have adopted white supremacist ideologies to survive in a hostile, white-centric world. And because of this, even when you aim your hate at me, I still feel compassion for you. Why?

Because your anger and hate have nothing to do with me.

When you use stereotypes to silence Black voices or blame us for being harmed by whiteness and our generational trauma, I know that you've got generational trauma you need to unpack and process.

When you try to use one Black person being mean or hateful to you as the "standard" for every Black person you meet, I know that you've got generational trauma you need to unpack and process.

When your advice to Black people is to be more docile and less of a stereotype, I know you've got generational trauma you need to unpack and process.

And I know because Black communities in the United States, in white western culture, have got a lot of generational trauma to unpack.

You aren't alone.

The difference is, I'm not going out of my way to diminish your experiences, your trauma, to adhere to white supremacist ideology that isn't offering me non-existent protections.

I can't speak for all of the Black and AAPI community relations in the United States. I know racism toward AAPI communities from Black communities exists. And vise-versa. I've seen and had to check Black folx for using anti-Asian rhetoric and hate as weapons against AAPI communities. Hell, you've seen me do it on this page. The truth is if you aren't white in the United States, you've been pitted against other races for generations in a battle created by the weight of oppression and trauma. That's how white supremacy operates: division and the hope of false safety and privilege. As people of color, as Black communities and AAPI communities, we can continue perpetuating this violence, or we can be the generation that starts unpacking why we're so divided when we are not each other's enemy.

I think y'all know where I stand.

I don't pray, but I'm going to ask my homies that do pray to include Ding in your prayers today. Let's wish him no hate but healing and the opportunity to unpack his perceived privilege and trauma.

I hope those prayers trickle down to others who need them.

[Image description: a screenshot of a comment posted on my LinkedIn by a gentleman name Ding Fu. It says the following:

“Pharoah, I am an Asian so neutral in this Black vs. white discussion. Here is my take:

• I have observed more crime in person by Black people in a mostly white city

• I have observed more gangster style among Blacks, e.g. playing really loud and vulgar music, wearing clothes where their underwear is showing, etc.

• Being really rude and loud and even making fun of me being a small Asian

I have had few Blacks at work who were extremely nice but they are minority in comparison.

I feel Black community likes to blame whites but doesn’t want to look inwards. This victim mentality only generates anger and resentment instead of focus on improvement. Here are things to focus on:

• Don’t promote gangster culture including vulgar music and clothing

• Counter crime by helping Black communities focus on education

• Teach Black people to be nice to others smaller than them"]

Image description: a screenshot of a comment posted on my LinkedIn by a gentleman name Ding Fu. It says the following:

“Pharoah, I am an Asian so neutral in this Black vs. white discussion. Here is my take:

I have observed more crime in person by Black people in a mostly white city

I have observed more gangster style among Blacks, e.g. playing really loud and vulgar music, wearing clothes where their underwear is showing, etc.

Being really rude and loud and even making fun of me being a small Asian

I have had few Blacks at work who were extremely nice but they are minority in comparison.

I feel Black community likes to blame whites but doesn’t want to look inwards. This victim mentality only generates anger and resentment instead of focus on improvement. Here are things to focus on:

Don’t promote gangster culture including vulgar music and clothing

Counter crime by helping Black communities focus on education

Teach Black people to be nice to others smaller than them"

Monday's Opening Thought: June 6, 2022

This week’s opening thought: There is an Amazon package on my front porch. It’s not my package; it was delivered to the wrong address. The porch that this package should’ve been delivered to is probably five or six doors down from my house.

I am not dropping that package off by myself.

I have never had a conversation with this neighbor, but I know they are white. They likely don’t know who I am, as I tend to keep to myself. I am in no mood to try to drop something off at some white person’s house, only for them to accuse me of trying to take their package from their porch.

I don’t need that trouble.

Is dropping this package off at the correct address the right thing to do? Of course. But I’m a big Black man in an overwhelmingly white city where many of my neighbors look at me like I haven’t lived in my home for nine years.

I don’t need that trouble.

Yesterday, I was walking into my local supermarket. A white woman was walking in ahead of me. Because I have been on the receiving end of white women acting like a Black person being close to them is a “safety issue,” I maintained a few paces between us. When I entered the store, I saw this white woman struggling to pull a cart out of the cart storage area. I could see that the cart behind it had been shoved in at an angle, making dislodging the carts a problematic endeavor. I stepped forward, smiling with my eyes to maintain friendliness (I was wearing a mask), and pulled the carts apart for her. She thanked me for my help and then proceeded to hand me a gallon of milk that someone had left in the cart. She looked at me and said, “Someone left this behind. You can put this back.”

She thought I worked at the supermarket.

At the time, I was wearing a Fist of the North Star t-shirt, sweatpants, and sneakers, yet she legitimately thought I worked at the supermarket.

Containing my frustration regarding this microaggression, I sternly replied, “I don’t work here.” Her response? She stammered before saying, “Oh, I thought you worked here. You were so nice.”

The layers of anti-Blackness, y’all. The layers.

At that moment, I wanted to drag her ass for saying to me that she thinks Black people are mean unless we’re being nice to her, then we’re “the help.” But I knew that it would be her word against mine and I would ultimately be facing white rage if I did that.

I don’t need that trouble.

Being a “good person” means nothing when anti-Blackness ensures that you’re typecast as a dangerous criminal or only considered “good” when you’re subservient to whiteness. I get up every day, aiming to be a decent person. It’s who I am, a person who wants to help others. But I do so while factoring in that I am a big Black man in an overwhelmingly white city where people see my skin tone before anything else. And sometimes?

Sometimes I don’t need that trouble.

I know I’m not the only one.