The 5 Things White Men in Power Can Do Right Now to Help Build a More Just, Inclusive and Sustainable Economy
Last week, I was a keynote speaker at the BLD PNW Conference. I spoke to B Corp business leaders about how they can show up in this moment, tear some shit down, and build a more just, inclusive, and sustainable economy.
In the Q&A, I got a question that went something like this…
“What are the most important things that white men in power need to be doing right now in order to help tear shit down?”
It felt like a big responsibility to be in the position to answer this question. If I can get white guys in power to listen to me…to actually do what I say…that is a big win for all of us! So, I took a breath, gathered the wisdom of my ancestors, and answered the question.
I said something smart. Of course.
But, if I had had more time to really craft my answer, THIS is what I would have said…
The 5 Things White Men in Power Can Do Right Now to Help Build a More Just, Inclusive and Sustainable Economy
1: Accept that you won’t be the one to save us
When I hear white folks ask me, “What can I do?” I get both excited and scared.
Excitement = If we are going to dismantle an economy based on white supremacy, white folks must absolutely take a very active role in making it happen.
Fear = White folks will swoop in with capes on ready to save the day.
In order to tear down an economic system based on white supremacy and patriarchy and replace it with something totally different, the work must be led by those of us who have been the most impacted by this very system. Living out here on the margins — especially those of us who are BIPOC, women, queer, and/or gender expansive — has trained us to be able to see this economy for the violent, harmful force that it is. We have built up our superpowers of courage and imagination to be able to navigate this shit show and survive. We know exactly how this system has failed people and the planet and we know exactly what needs to be done to turn things around.
White guys, you won’t be the ones to save us. Please accept that.
2: Access your power and influence to organize resources for leaders of color
So, when you ask “What can I do?,” know that your most important role is to support the leaders of color who hold the vision for what is to come. Movement leaders need money, space, technology, human-power, communication channels, and a bunch of other resources to do the work. White men in power, if you have access to these resources, either directly or through your networks (and I know you do), share them wildly.
Open doors. Set up meetings. Make a seat at the table. Raise money. Put stuff in the back of your truck and drop it off where it needs to be. Buy ads. Share free meeting space. Put yourself on the front lines. Whatever needs to get done to get leaders what they need to do this work, do it.
3: Give up your own power and money
Let’s face it. To be a true co-conspirator in this work means that you must have some skin in the game. If you are a white man in power, you must recognize that you have benefited unfairly from a system that has caused and continues to cause massive amounts of harm to the planet and the beings that inhabit it. If you really are about tearing shit down, you must be willing to give up some of the power and money that has come to you through this inequitable system.
Before you do this, however, I’d like to remind you of point #1 — you are not the savior here. I am not asking anyone to martyr themselves by giving up all that you own and live on the top of a mountain somewhere. That is not going to solve anything plus, it takes you out of the game. I am talking about developing a practice, over time. Giving up money and power is not something you can do once and be done. It’s about being in the continual practice of recognizing how this system continues to benefit you unfairly. It’s about learning to value people and the planet over your own convenience and comfort. It’s about learning how to live interdependently and make choices for the greater good instead of your own personal gain.
4: Talk to other white men
If you have read this far, you likely consider yourself one of the white guys who actually “gets it”…and still it’s hard to know how to show up! So, think about all of the other white guys in your life who have no idea how to show up right now. You all need each other. Your fathers and brothers and uncles and colleagues and buddies from college need to hear how you think about all of this and what you are working on. They need to know about the anti-racism resources you are reading and listening to. They need you to call them in to this movement and to call them out when they mess up and cause harm. In order to show up right now — to take on a whole different identity than what is normally expected of you as white men — you all need to support each other.
5: Build up your courage + imagination
All of us, no matter how we identify ourselves — need the courage to notice, name, and dismantle harmful systems of white supremacy and the imagination to create something new. The noticing, naming and dismantling is happening. New systems are being created everyday. All the time. It is all happening now. We need all of us to show up in all of our courage and imagination to sustain it.
Make the commitment to build your courage + imagination muscles now. Here are 10 examples of ways to practice:
- Call out harmful words and actions even when it jeopardizes your connection to other white men of power
- Listen to the stories of marginalized people without getting defensive — even when their stories contain examples of white men causing harm (which they inevitably will).
- Believe people of color when they speak from their own experience even when that experience doesn’t match your understanding of how the world works
- Get comfortable with major change even though it is super uncomfortable (btw, we can thank Covid for helping us build these muscles)
- Allow yourself to be vulnerable around friends, family, and colleagues in ways that doesn’t require anyone to take care of your feelings
- Open up your books to your team and other stakeholders. Make sure everyone knows your quarterly and annual goals, your projections, your cash position, how your money flows in and out. Ask them what ideas they have to improve the financial situation of your organization and the folks who work for it.
- Throw out “the script” for what you believe is “best practice” for team meetings, sales calls, job interviews, or any other everyday business happening and try something totally new. Just to see what happens.
- Invite front line workers or even customers into an executive meeting and hear what they have to say about your product or service. Then, actually make a change that they suggest.
- Partner with a competitor in your industry to spread awareness about an issue that is bigger than both of your businesses. See what you can learn from each other.
- Make space for you and your team to make something new that you assume will be an utter failure. Do it just so you can learn something from it. Do it just to give folks a chance to practice their leadership skills and see what comes of it.
Don’t stop there. There are thousands of ways to boost your courage and imagination. Just pick something and get going.
I am grateful that I got asked this question. Like I said, I take this responsibility very seriously.
If you are a white man in power and you are wondering, “What do I do?,” I really hope you are listening. I hope that you have the courage to trust that what I am offering is truth and the imagination to build something new.
And I hope you do as I say.
Lynn Johnson is a social impact entrepreneur, producer, speaker, and marketer dedicated to gender & racial justice. She makes spaces to center the stories of marginalized folks and helps companies know how to show up in this moment of awareness and dismantling. Lynn is a Black, queer, cisgendered woman based in Oakland, CA, currently spending time in Albuquerque, NM.
