This Is The Work: A Parable for Racial Justice
This is a true story. One with a moral and everything. Pay attention.
On Saturday, my wife Allison and I were on our way to my co-working space to get a little work done. She is launching her coaching practice and I am helping her with her website. Since it was a Saturday, we had to treat ourselves to some fancy caffeinated beverages first. You know, like you do.
With fancy caffeine in hand, we got into our brand new hybrid and drove down the road, prepared to make marketing magic, when I heard Allison gasp, “Oh my god!”
“What? What happened?!” With everything going on these days, it could have been anything.
“I just saw a man lying on the sidewalk. In a hospital gown. He clearly needs some help. But everyone is just walking by. No one is doing anything.”
At that moment, time stopped. We were facing the ultimate moral dilemma. If folks walk by a problem and no one does anything, does it mean:
- It must not be that much of a problem…OR…
- We are the ones who must do something.
At that moment, the second option felt like the truth.
“Um…what do we do?” That was my first question. As someone well practiced in choosing option number 1 and going on about my day, I didn’t automatically know the next right action.
Allison chimed in, “We don’t want to call the police. That won’t be good.”
“Right! Let’s call the paramedics!”
Now, this is when the story gets really juicy.
When the 911 operator connected us with the paramedics, we told the man on the phone where he and his crew could find the man on the sidewalk. Then, he asked…
“Are you willing to turn around and go back? To be with him until we get there? We have a large homeless population, we need your help to wave us down so we know exactly where he is.”
Am I willing to turn around? Am I willing to stay with this man on the sidewalk in the hospital gown? Am I willing to let my fancy caffeinated beverage get cold? Am I willing to make a 5 block detour when I was on my way to work? Am I willing to be with this man and all of his otherness?
And on and on and on.
Until…
“Yes, of course. We will turn around.”
“Great. Put your hazard lights on when you get there so we know where you are. Hold tight. Help is on the way.”
Allison and I followed the paramedics directions. We blocked traffic, turned on our hazards, and checked to see if the man in the hospital gown was still breathing. We kept a safe distance from the man, but stayed with him nonetheless.
I felt my body tense up as car after car was inconvenienced by us stalled in the middle of a busy street. “They are going to get mad and start honking at us,” I thought to myself. Like, their minor inconvenience could in any way compare to whatever the man in the hospital gown was going through.
It didn’t take long at all before we spotted the fire engine. Seriously, I think we waited 5 minutes. We did as we were told and waved them down. Before we knew it, several paramedics were on the scene. They woke the man up and tried to engage him through his haziness to determine what help he needed. Within seconds, we were back in our car and on our way to work.
Ready for the moral?
I am in the work of helping organizations show up for racial justice. I interact with people (white people) all the time who say that they want to do something to address systemic racism and white supremacy in their organizations but also say things like:
- “I don’t know what to do.”
- “Now is not the right time. We have so many other things going on.”
- “I am afraid of making folks (my boss, my customers, my board, etc.) angry or uncomfortable.”
The man was lying on the ground. In a hospital gown. Who knows how many people walked by him before someone said, “Hey everybody, something is very wrong here. Someone is very hurt. We have to at least try to do something.” I make no assertions that I saved this man’s life. I doubt I made that much of a difference at all, to be honest. But at least, I did something. I noticed that there was a problem and I did something about it.
If you are one of those people (white people, especially) who has walked right by racism in your organization and thought, “Well, no one else has done anything about it. Maybe it’s not that much of a problem.” Let me tell you the truth. You are the one who must do something.
If you don’t know what to do, call someone who does know what to do. When they tell you what to do, do it.
If you are concerned about it taking time away from what you were already doing, know that taking that detour won’t ruin your day. It will enhance it. You will learn something. Your fancy caffeine will wait.
And, if you are afraid of pissing folks off (your boss, your customers, your board, etc.), know that comes with the territory. It is impossible to stop traffic, turn on your hazards, and not have folks experience some kind of discomfort. Most folks will likely drive around you, keep it moving, not wanting to be inconvenienced themselves. But here’s the thing, eventually, someone will stop. Someone will see your hazards and say to themselves, “Look! That person saw a problem and is doing something about it. I want to help too.”
This is a true story. But it is also a Call to Action. Pay attention.
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