Branch Rickey had a tough decision to make about Jackie Robinson. Does he go with the negative thoughts in his head about signing the first black major league baseball player, or does he go with his heart and give a kid with fantastic potential a chance to play in the league? Rickey struggled with this thought night after night and chances are, had family and friends who told him he was insane! Despite all the negative noise, stereotypes regarding black players, and rejection he was going to receive from others, he decided to do something that is a dealbreaker in Racial Equity; Branch Rickey went with his heart over this head! He eliminated the mental noise, the potential backlash, the ultimate rejection he would receive, and went with the only thing that causes people to see the full potential of black and brown people-their hearts! He gave Jackie “Equal Opportunity To Maximize His Potential” and, as a result, set in motion one of the greatest eras of Major League Baseball. Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and many others followed, and the talent of black players added a spark to the league that has lasted for generations. America benefits when equity takes place!
“Equity Is Not A Head Issue; It Is A Heart Issue,” states Darrell “Coach D” Andrews, author of the soon-to-be-released book with the same title. Coach D is known worldwide for his informative yet motivational strategy, consulting, and speaking sessions to businesses, governmental agencies, school districts, and non-profits. “History has proven over and over again, Caucasians who embrace racial equity (Equal opportunities and access in work, business, education, and life), lead with the heart, even though their heads might be telling them something else,” proclaims Andrews. “Diversity programs have been around for decades, yet we find ourselves in the same boat. We believe the reason why is you can’t train a person to see race relations from another perspective (head.) You must utilize conversations, think-tanks, analysis and most importantly, communicate with the person in a way that does not make them feel like a racist (heart) to accomplish this,” states Andrews. “Many people simply lack knowledge as to their method of communications and its effect on black and brown people.”
His firm created the Equity 3M framework to create a new way of doing DEI. We focus on “Equity Journeys” and “Equity Conversations” to accomplish this goal. The 3M’s are as follows:
Mindset-How can we create a growth mindset regarding black and brown relations?
Motivation-What is the motivation to make changes that lead to a more equitable workplace and community culture?
Memorization-How do we weave Racial Equity into organizational or societal culture? To make it a “new normal?”
Conclusion
DEI success takes more than just training. It takes orchestrating internal conversations where we analyze biases and microaggressions so that people can see them from a different lens.
