I know it now like I’ve never known it before: the vast amount of privilege I have as a white woman, and how I’ve fallen short as a business owner.
I look at my client roster since 200 and see a sea of overwhelmingly white faces. The same goes for my internal team.
I think of my 6-year-old biracial daughter and know that, if she was just a few years older, she would look at my Case Studies page and ask, “Why don’t you help more women that look like me?” It breaks my heart, gives me deep shame, and lights a fire under me like nothing I’ve experienced before.
I am here for diversity. I am here for equity. I am here for inclusivity. I am here to stand up, speak out, and create change both personally and professionally. I am here to serve the BIPOC women who I have been excluding for so long.
And yet: I promise not to hide my shortcomings from my daughter. I promise not to take the actions I outline below and pretend that this is what it’s been like all along. I promise to tell her about the white faces of my clients, internal team, and referral lists in 2020 and take ownership of it all.
I stand with Black lives and am working on going from Ally – where I stand in support but risk nothing – to Accomplice, where I use my privilege to change the status quo.
Trainings, workshops, podcasts, daily action steps, and anti-racist books are now a part of my life. I meet weekly with two of my white peers to discuss and dissect what we’re learning, set our own goals and plans, and hold each other accountable. I share this not to pat myself on the back or to try to earn a gold star, but to show you that this is a high-level priority, and I am determined to walk my talk.
There is so much I don’t know. There is so much I need to learn.
I’m committed to going further into anti-racist work on an ongoing basis, actively creating and changing policies to reflect all I’m learning. With that, I now have a Zero Tolerance policy for hate speech in any group I run. These include but are not limited to statements that are racist, sexist, homophobic, or transphobic. Microaggressions, tone policing, name-calling, gossip, and bullying are also not permitted. I’ve added these terms to my contracts as well as the policies within my current groups.
As of August 27th, 2020, I pledge to:
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continuously consume Black media, having it account for at least 30% of what I read, watch, and listen to.
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take inventory of where I spend my money both as a business owner and in my personal life. I’ll complete that by November 1st, and from there, I’ll set a goal to incrementally increase my spendings every year with Black-owned businesses until I hit at least 30%.
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make my anti-racist learnings ongoing, taking at least 1 course and reading at least 4 books every year. I will keep up with my biweekly meetings and will make time for the “homework” in between.
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create relationships with BIPOC copywriters, developers, designers, coaches, and marketers so I can add them to my referral lists for my clients. I’d like the people on my referral lists to be at least 30% BIPOC by the end of 2021.
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have my clients sign their contract with a Zero Tolerance policy for hate speech, and put these guidelines in every community I run so there is no confusion as to where I stand and what occurs when this happens.
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take my internal team from 0% BIPOC to 15% BIPOC by the end of 2021, and 30% BIPOC by the end of 2022. When I need a new hire, I will actively seek BIPOC candidates and make sure they make up at least half of my interviewees.
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when asked to be on a podcast, speak at an event, or take part in a summit, I will ask how many BIPOC women have been asked or interviewed. If it’s not at least 30%, I won’t agree to appear there and I’ll recommend a BIPOC business coach in my place.
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as I continue my own education, I want to increase the BIPOC women I serve by 10% each year, so that they make up 50% of my clients by 2025. My highest priority, however, is creating a safe and inclusive space for them where they will not experience harm. If I don’t feel I am up to the task, I will hire a Black DEI coach or facilitator to join my team and serve my clients in this space.
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make a monthly task to update this page so I can remain transparent with my goals, actions, and results. I know there’s much that I don’t know, so I also want to remain open in updating the goals here as I learn, grow, and find even more of the gaps in my knowledge. I’ll also send biannual reports to my newsletter list with my updates and stats.
As of January 25th, 2021, I have:
I know that this pledge is imperfect. I know I will make mistakes – I’m sure there are some above. But I don’t want that to stop me from speaking up and moving forward.
Please know that the door is always open for you to ask me questions, hold me accountable, offer me feedback, and engage me in difficult conversations. I’m here for your referrals and recommendations as well. You can always reach me directly by emailing michelle@90daybusinesslaunch.com or DMing me on Instagram @90DayBizLaunch.
Thank you for standing with and by me during this important time in our history. I vow to do better.
