The influx of anti-racism work in the organizations has grown over the past year. As this work continues to grow, the C-suite has now started to realize the importance of anti-racism consultants. They are helping companies on this newfound journey of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
“If you are considering hiring an anti-racism consultant, congratulations! You are taking a great and much-needed step forward.”
But there are some things you need to know before you start training potential candidates or hire one. You must be clear on why your workplace needs an anti-racism consultant first and everything else will follow. Here are the reasons why your company needs an anti-racism consultant:
They Help You Uncover The Bias!
Bias against someone isn’t an unconscious decision that you take. But the reason why you are biased is unconsciously ingrained in you. We continue discrimination against BIPOC because we do not know better. With the help of a consultant, you can uncover the conscious and unconscious biases not just against a certain class, but a sect, race, gender, social status, etc.
They help you uncover the right perception by showing you the privilege you have. They help you and your company lay down a deep foundation of discovering your known and unknown biases and working on them. This is the way to go if you wish to see anti-racism grow in your company.
They Make You Feel Vulnerable Yet Brave
When you start anti-racism work as a company, you need a consultant to handhold you throughout the process. When you start on this journey, you will realize the areas you were wrong at for so long. They help you feel vulnerable and brave. They push you out of your comfort zone, so you not only realize the discrimination ingrained in you and your culture but also make you understand that now is your time to change it.
You need a consultant because they are honest about how challenging the work is and how much your organization needs to change. They do not sugarcoat it.
They Hold You Accountable
A lot of the time I have seen managers and executives deciding that they are going to turn their company around and develop anti-racism policies, root out racism completely, and whatnot. But their plans never materialize. This is because the people deciding what to do are the same bunch of people who are responsible for racism. When you hire a consultant, they not only point everything out but hold a mirror in front of you. They call you out for everything you do.
The consultants will hold you and your company accountable all the while holding space for compassion when you struggle. They help you back up on the track when you struggle and fall. For them, eradicating racism in your company is the main goal and they make that happen.
They Create Policies, Literature & Plans
If you think an anti-racism consultant just comes, teaches workshops, does training or two, performs organization audits, and creates data reports then you are wrong. They do all this but create long-lasting policies, plans, and provide you and your employees with anti-racism literature as well. They help you create cultures that push on white supremacy norms. They help you dismantle oppressive structures and give you a roadmap to build something new – diverse and inclusive.
What’s more is that most of these anti-racism consultants are the ones who have spent years fighting oppression, haggling with the structures and systems themselves. They know better than anyone else how to change it.
“Anti-racism consultants aren’t a fancy new title for you to hire under your DEI initiative. They can turn your company around. When given the right space to make the change, they can be an asset capable of bringing about a deeper change than you ever thought possible.”