“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
– James Baldwin
We’re 13 days into 2021 and it’s already shaping up to be yet another year of revelation and radical change.
Just to recap:
Last week, there was a violent insurrection at the Capitol building in DC. The world watched as Trump supporters were ushered through the gates by Capitol Police to disrupt the certification of the electoral votes.
As I watched the events of last Wednesday unfold, I felt numb, as if my nervous system had been preparing for this for years. (Because it had.) Then I felt rage.
We’ve witnessed Trump planting the seeds for this since he was inaugurated as POTUS four years ago.
He’s been stirring up hatred and emboldening white supremacist’s since he took office.
But he is NOT the root cause of the violence and vitriol that we witnessed last week.
He is a symptom.
The Trumps and Mitch McConnells that we see in the US government are symptoms of toxic patriarchy, white supremacy and xenophobia.
A vast majority of people are so insecure and afraid of true diversity, they cling to anything that will allow them to maintain their white supremacist monoculture.
Regardless of the cost.
Regardless of the harm.
And this fear of ‘other’ is what we have to face if we want to move away from the white supremacist nation state that has been allowed to thrive for far too long.
If you’re wondering what all of this has to do with business, I’m here to remind you that it has EVERYTHING to do with business.
The way we run our businesses contributes to the culture we’re building.
The way we show up shapes the relationships and communities we’re invested in.
The content we create affirms or dismantles the social contracts that have been projected on to us.
If we avoid addressing these moments in the name of “High Vibes” or “Love and Light” we are complicit in the culture of hate and abuse.
As business owners, we are creating, affirming, dismantling and disrupting culture everyday, and if we refuse to face the ugliness of our current culture, we will never be able to change it.
I want to invite you to spend some time reflecting on the kind of culture you want to be building with your business.
Here’s a quick practice. Grab your journal (or open a google doc), set a timer for 10 minutes, and then use that time to answer these two questions for yourself:
- “How have I contributed to harm and oppression in my business?”
- “How can I use my business to build a culture that prioritizes people and the planet moving forward?”
(Don’t stop writing/typing until the timer dings)
If you feel like sharing what came up for you during this practice, hit reply and let’s chat about using our businesses to build culture.
Love + Liberation
Lauren Elizabeth