by Nadiah Mohajir
A recent study by Brigham Young University explored the experiences of female students in a predominantly male collegiate accounting program, and found the challenges that women often face with being heard. Specifically, the article states:
“After years spent analyzing lab and real-life settings to determine what it takes for a woman to really be heard—to truly be perceived as competent and influential—these professors have found the same truth: for women, having a seat at the table does not mean having a voice.”
While I absolutely did not need a study to validate my lived experience, it is quite affirming that researchers have found what women and other marginalized people have known all their lives. At HEART, we are committed to building inclusive communities that foster belonging, and as such we are constantly asking the question: what is tokenization versus authentic inclusion? While we don’t have all the answers, are still very much immersed in trying to figure this out, and are *definitely* making mistakes along the way, we have learned a few lessons over the years.
Too many of those we work with have stories where their workplaces either excluded them entirely, or merely tokenized them, a finding that is also backed by research. This is often due to the fact that our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts often start – and end – at checking off boxes of identities when making staffing and board recruitment decisions. Moreover, this pursuit of diversity, inclusion, and equity often are buzz words that organizations throw around but avoid addressing the real systemic issues that are at the root of marginalization in many organizations: implicit bias, microaggressions, and racism. And so, the recruitment process is just the beginning. In order for authentic inclusion to happen and to achieve true equity, strong relationship building, self reflection, and organizational culture shifts must happen.
Additionally, a common mistake we make is focusing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts only on predominantly white led organizations. While this is absolutely important, we know that it is possible for the habits of dominant culture and white supremacy to be deeply ingrained in many communities of color as well. And so, for all the Muslim led organizations and mosques who currently feel like this conversation may not apply to you because you have X number of women or some other marginalized identity on your board/staff, know that having a seat is not enough. It has never been enough. And if you notice that year after year, you have women or another marginalized identity handing in their resignation, you are likely not giving them a voice. So what are some actions leaders can take to ensure the marginalized identities in teams have the voice they deserve?
Trustbuilding
- Start with the relationship not the work. This really is helpful in guiding any working relationship, but is particularly useful in communities of color who carry with them mistrust due to a history of microaggressions and systemic racism. Organize team lunches, storytelling sessions, one-on-one get to know you conversations, etc. Don’t think that is taking away from the work: relationship building is the work because it builds trust.
Running Meetings
- Observe. In your next meeting, observe how much time and space individuals take up and see if there are patterns. Are there certain people that take up more space than others? Taking up space can look like, talking a lot, introducing ideas, and interrupting others. Moreover, observe who is getting credit for great ideas. Are great ideas being introduced by women and/or other marginalized identity but co-opted by their (male) leadership?
- Begin with group norms or community agreements. These are commitments the team is making to each other about how they want to be in company with each other and what they need for open, honest collaboration and productivity. Often, these conversations can be relationship building opportunities as well as a way to get to know who’s at the table. Asking everyone to reflect on what habits may make them speak up less or ‘shut down’ can be incredibly insightful information for those responsible to run the meeting. Finally, Including agreements such as “everyone has a voice” and “move up, move back” can encourage those who take up more space to listen and those who don’t speak up to share their voice.
- Don’t be afraid to interrupt or correct information. If you are running the meeting, gently interrupt those who are taking up too much space to make room for those who aren’t. This will likely cause a lot of (male) tears, and it’s absolutely a critical practice to get people who need to listen more learn that skill. Moreover, if you notice an idea is being reintroduced as someone else’s, make sure you uplift and applaud the original individual who brought that idea to the table.
Meeting Needs
- Understand the unique needs of your team. If you’ve taken the energy to diversify your team, the next step is to understand the diverse needs of the team. Specifically, what are the unique needs of marginalized identities on your team? These unique needs are not just acknowledged but addressed and met with creative solutions. Does the caregiver on your team need certain meetings to be scheduled during nap time or when they have childcare in order to be fully present? Are there people on your team that identify as survivors that need access to certain community care and healing resources? Are there people on your team that have particular religious needs? For example are there accommodations made for prayer or Ramadan? Is it possible for Muslim staff to not travel or attend evening meetings to recognize that they are in Ramadan?
Ownership, Decisionmaking, and Power
- Explore who has power. Ask yourself, who is given ownership and agency over work and how are they rewarded when they deliver? How are decisions made? If you have diversified your board or executive team by bringing on more women, do they have equal say in how decisions are made or how projects are led? Who is trusted with leadership in the team you are in? Are the people that are deemed privileged to have access to information determined in a transparent, and equitable way that considers everyone’s role?
- Understand the relationship between representation and the distribution of power. Do women and other marginalized identities see themselves reflected in your executive leadership and/or board which is generally where the power lies? If an organization’s executive leadership and/or board all look the same, have similar education, financial backgrounds, gender identities, and sexual orientation, chances are the organization isn’t diverse, even if they all are people of color. For example if a mosque board and executive leadership is all South Asian, upper class, highly educated Muslim men, it is not diverse by virtue of being led by men of color. Rather, the mosque have replicated the same system of exclusion that predominantly white led organizations have. Representation matters, not only to communicate that the organization is committed to inclusion, but also to model what it means to equitably distribute power.
Managing Conflict
- Center marginalized voices always, but especially during conflict. Often, conflict on team occurs when there is a power differential. In this moment, it becomes even more crucial to notice if there is a pattern of who is typically heard and who is not. If there is a power differential, center the voice(s) with less power because they are exercising courage by speaking up, and often their experience of how power is showing up in the team can be very insightful to leadership trying to manage conflict between team members. Centering voice(s) does not always mean giving in or doing as they say, but rather, ensuring that the concerns brought up have been heard, considered, and inform how to move forward together in partnership.
- Utilize exit interviews. When staff, board or volunteers, leave, it is critical for organizations to do their due diligence and do an exit interview to understand their reasons for leaving and ensure that it was not due to a culture of marginalization or oppression.
- Notice turnover patterns. If you are on the board or leadership of an organization and are noticing that there is a pattern in turnover: women, people of color, LGBTQ+ folks are leaving and sending in their resignation, challenge your management and do your due diligence to see if there is a pattern in the reasons why. Chances are, there are.
Building diverse, representative and inclusive organizations and teams is hard; and yet the need for this shift is becoming increasingly evident as our social justice movements become more intersectional. Ensuring representation on your team is just the first step toward authentic inclusion; what follows after is a necessary internal assessment of your organization. Understanding how decisions are made, power is distributed, who is trusted with certain projects and roles, and the unique needs of your team members is important insight for leadership looking to build a culture that moves beyond tokenization to one that fosters authentic inclusion.
Resources:
Center for Community Organizations White Supremacy Culture Handbook
Supporting Caregivers in Workplaces: A Guide
Desperate Times call for Desperate Measures: Working, Caregiving, and Surviving the Global Pandemic
