#peopleofcourage

[neetu-uplifts]

People of Courage (not colour)

Friends, if you like podcasts that sharpen your critical thinking skills, deepen your empathy and broaden your worldview, I highly recommend you check out The Colour Gap, a podcast by two friends of mine, Shahzia Noorally and Susy Ko. These hard working, humble and incredibly talented women open up the conversation about the lived experience and unique challenges that women of colour have. I’m inspired by so much of what they shared in their first two episodes that I felt compelled to write about it. A few key insights that really resonated for me are:

“Women of colour naturally navigate the world a little bit differently and we just need to recognize that” 

This line really stood out to me because I find it concerning that women in general but especially women of colour are often labeled “aggressive”, “bossy”, “sassy” or as having a “chip on their shoulder”. I think people need to realize that it’s not about being aggressive. It’s a sign of strength and boldness, which were survival mechanisms based on the challenges we’ve faced.  In Grade 4, I was bullied and beat up every day for almost 2 months by a Grade 6 Caucasian girl who I didn’t even know and who I had never spoken a word to; she was doing this just because I was “brown”. I walked home from elementary school keeping my head down or walking a little extra fast as kids would yell “Paki” at me. They didn’t know a thing about me, my family or my roots. Why did they hate me just for how I looked? I recall a teacher in high school once announcing to the entire class “Oh yeah, Neetu, I received a call from your Mom, she’s the one with very broken English, right?” I was so upset and embarrassed. My Mom was more educated (among many other incredible things) than my teacher but just because she spoke imperfect English he was devaluing her as a person. 

My Dad, a highly educated and incredibly hard working man with a Masters Degree in Economics from one of Punjab’s most highly coveted universities, left his Management career in banking in Delhi and came to Canada with my Mom to give his children a better life. The price he paid for that was extreme racism and assimilation. No one would give him a job because of his turban and some potential employers were explicit about that. The turban was a symbolic sign of my Dad’s culture and Sikh faith. It was part of his identity. He wasn't quick to lose hope, getting on the bus at 4am everyday, traveling around the city to meet different factory owners in search of work. Somebody he felt, would see past the turban, and recognize his potential. The day he finally made the heartbreaking decision to cut his hair and lose his turban, he was hired for a factory job where if he spent more than 2 minutes on a bathroom break, his pay was cut. Not everyone in the factory was treated like that. My Mom returned to work 2 weeks after giving birth to me. Her c-section stitches hadn’t even healed. She had no choice because she wasn’t a permanent employee at the hotel where she worked in housekeeping, and so they gave her 2 weeks off but anything beyond that would mean losing her job. Financially, my parents were struggling, living in Falconridge in Northeast Calgary with 3 young children. So, they made these tough sacrifices in an extremely racist and discriminatory environment. The sacrifices my parents made are not lost on me. They have shaped me as a person, alongside the challenges I also endured just for the colour of my skin. 

My point in sharing all this is NOT to be victimized. If you know me, you know that’s not how I operate. I have an amazing life today and I’m incredibly grateful for every aspect of it. I’m sharing this to help those of you trying to deepen your understanding of what it was like growing up as a person of colour in Calgary. Just imagine how different you would be as a person if this is how you and your family were treated throughout your life. It would impact the way you feel, think and behave. If you were mistreated just for how you looked as a child, that sociological conditioning leaves a residue. Not the kind of residue that makes you bitter but rather, makes you want to be better.  So much so that you become obsessed with working extra hard to always prove yourself and negate the biases that tried to bring you down. So yes, women (or people) of colour do navigate the world a little differently. But there’s a real reason for it. As Shahzia perfectly states in the podcast episode entitled “Crazy”, if you never had to experience inequality or discrimination just for the colour of your skin then by default you are “privileged” compared to those who did. Recognizing that privilege is key to then taking action in your role at work and in your broader community to do what you can to check the biases that still negatively impact people of colour. Be an ally and leverage your position of power and privilege to rise up those who have been disadvantaged in a way that you never were. View the bold, assertive and outspoken behaviour of people of colour, not as a ungrateful “chip on their shoulder”, but rather as the outcome of navigating a life of racism and having to work extra hard to prove their worth.

“You can’t be what you can’t see”

This is powerful when we think about why racially similar role models in senior leadership matter. As a person of colour, who has endured racism, discrimination and a unique set of life challenges that the Caucasian majority has not, you realize on a deeper level that you are different. You are a “visible minority”. You've spent your life being reminded of that. So, subconsciously or consciously, you know that the chances of someone that looks like you reaching a senior leadership position in a corporation are few and far between - because so few have done it. That’s disheartening to say the least. Shahzia and Susy share this interesting insight in the podcast: “Visible minorities have to work extra hard to prove themselves. Others [Caucasian majority] will be promoted based on potential whereas visible minorities have to have an actual track record.” What impact is created for the Caucasian majority of not seeing many people of colour in leadership positions as you’ve grown up? If for people of colour the truth is “you can’t be what you can’t see”. I wonder if for the Caucasian majority, it’s “you can’t believe what you can’t see”. Meaning, even the most well-intentioned leader is used to falling back on their default criteria or consideration set because that’s what they’ve always seen and been around and it’s what they know.  If you aren’t used to seeing many people of colour as leaders or as senior role models, how does that impact the unconscious biases you develop for people of colour? I feel grateful for the organization I work for on many fronts.  I know leaders who are genuinely invested in growing me and other people of colour as leaders - and for all the right, well deserved reasons (it always has to be the best person for the job). But, as a province, we have a lot of work to do in elevating people of colour and pushing through the unconscious biases that create barriers, which hold them back from being represented in senior leadership positions. And we all know that diversity of thought can only enrich us as a community. It’s a huge leap forward, not backward - for ALL of us.

The Colour Gap: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-colour-gap/id1455051938?mt=2

[non2pink]

Powerful. Friend. Activist. #PeopleOfTheUSA #PeopleOfAfrica #PeopleOfCourage #Bold #BlackWoman