Blacks in communications: how are we balancing racial trauma with being the black voice in the room?

Almost every organization is thinking through where they stand and how or if they will evolve as a part of the national movement for racial justice. Television commercials and social media timelines are filled with new declarations and statements in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Black professionals – communications leaders and strategists – are being leaned on more than ever to be critical thought partners to help their organizations navigate this new era of activism, and what it means for a company to be part of the movement. While entire teams of leaders are trying to figure out the right strategy and messaging to express support for and solidarity with black communities, the burden is felt more heavily on the communicators of color to be the sounding board and validator of decisions made about the carefully-approached topic of racism in America.

Processing racial trauma at work

What often goes unsaid or unnoticed is that we, black communications leaders and strategists, are showing up for these conversations at work, while also processing our own heavy trauma caused by the most recent, senseless murders of the innocent black men and women who sparked this movement: George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. We are building communications strategies about how to show empathy for the cause and victims of racial injustice, while suppressing fear about how much closer to home the next victim will be. I have weary moments wondering when progress will be realized as Rayshard Brooks was added just last week to the long list of black lives lost at the hand of a police officer.

Are we talking about this racial trauma at work? The fact that every murder of a black person at the hand of a racist feels personal, because we are haunted by the thought that it could’ve happened to our own brother, sister, mother, father or child. As we scream and demand #justiceforBreonnaTaylor, I think about how my own name could be a hashtag as well. We are constantly traumatized by these cases and relive that trauma every time we see news stories replaying the details of black murder, clips of grieving families and debates about the injustice of it all over and over again.

Being black in communications means that you are planning out how your organization should address and communicate racial injustices publicly, while you may still be resolving your own, very personal racial trauma privately. It means you are constantly balancing professional responsibility and emotional trauma at the same time. It means not having many moments to truly process that trauma. 

Feeling the pressure to be the black voice in the room

I am a strategic communications leader at a nonprofit that is vocal about specific inequities facing black communities and kids. Like many organizations, we are addressing what’s happening in the world with staff and speaking out against racism externally. In my organization, I feel encouraged to speak out about how we address race and I know that my opinion as a professional and a black woman will be heard and respected. This is not the case in many other organizations. But what’s at stake if I miss the mark somewhere in deciding how we address race?

During a regular team meeting recently, a conversation was sparked about how we might acknowledge Tamir Rice’s upcoming 18th birthday. It could be a moment to shine a light on how important it is for kids to be able to play safely and freely, without worrying about violence or death. Over the years, I’ve had several conversations with my circle of friends about the tragedy of what happened to Tamir Rice. It was a first to have it on the agenda of a planning meeting. As we talked through the potential social media strategy and finalized an action plan, my heart felt heavy thinking about his mother, and the pain she feels every day, and maybe a bit more on the day that would’ve been a celebration of newfound adulthood for her son. We discussed if we should highlight Tamir’s birthday on social media, debated about what was in or out of our lane to share publicly and considered if a mention could be viewed as opportunistic. Everyone in the meeting had a point of view to share, but I know that mine as a black woman holds more weight. In many situations like these, my view is debated less because I’m black. It also puts into view that many white colleagues are unaware or unsure of how to talk about racially-charged topics, and sometimes that means having to speak out against plans that I know aren’t the right approach.

In a parallel thought, I wonder if my recommendations in situations like these could potentially spur negative responses from our audiences. Or even worse, among black people. Would I lose my black card, or would my credibility as a black professional and point of view as a black woman be tainted? Being the black voice doesn’t mean you’re the expert on what will resonate with every black person. And my blackness doesn’t give me the ability to always know the right approach for my organization. What you say or promote is being scrutinized more than ever, and having a black voice is helpful, but not an insurance policy for companies when talking about race.

Yet continuing on…

Balancing the need to show up at work to engage in race-based conversations and make decisions, while also trying to manage through the trauma and grief that is felt right now has made for some very difficult days. But I do feel a sense of duty to show up as a communications leader and as a black woman. Representation and having black voices at the table are critical to getting these messages right. We’ve all seen advertising campaigns over the past few years where it’s very clear that certain brands did not have ONE black person in the room when concept and imagery decisions were being made (I’m looking at you, H&M and Gucci). So I make the choice to be a black voice in the room, and I know I’m joined by so many others who are taking on the task of sharing candidly about the black experience in America.  It means conveying my perspective from a more vulnerable space than I’d typically share at work, with the goal of getting our point of view not just into public statements, but into how we address race in this country. I hope that it will mean something. And I hope that all of the cross-sector support and promotion of Black Lives Matter will bring more visibility to the need for change in America in a way that opens the door to real progress.

And in the meantime, here are some things that I find necessary in trying to maintain resiliency and balance while guiding organizations through the learning curve needed to address and communicate about racial injustice.  

1.   Tap into your network for support

It’s been helpful to tap into my peer group of communicators who are facing the same challenges. Being able to share how we are balancing corporate opinion and personal viewpoints, and learning about how other groups are talking about race in other organizations has been helpful to me, and especially critical to those who are the only black person in the room.

I’m a big fan of these two communications networks that are offering information and resources to those who are seeking support in talking about racial inequality. 

• ColorComm, a network of women of color in communications
• ComNet, a group of foundations and nonprofits focused on communications for social good.  

2.       Encourage teammates to learn about the historical context of systemic and structural racism

We all know that for most of us, black history wasn’t taught extensively or accurately in school as we grew up. Most of what I know about black history was learned from elders in my family, edutainment (movies based in truth) and reading about the parts of our history that were most interesting to me. In recent years, I’ve added to that knowledge through an in-depth racial history and equity training led by Racial Equity Institute, and also received tools from Just Partners, Inc. about how to approach my work across any industry, through a racial equity lens. 

Some challenges we may face in our organizations are because we have very different knowledge levels about the history of racism in this country. As you continue to be curious and learn more about black history, recommending some tools for your colleagues can be helpful in establishing a baseline of knowledge that may lead to a foundation of understanding about ongoing racial injustice and trauma.

3.    Unplug from the news and social media as needed

In the past few weeks, there have only been a few days that I haven’t seen the heartbreaking video of George Floyd’s murder. It was played in constant loop on every network, and my throat felt choked every single time I saw it. The clips then shifted to the subsequent protests and the aggressive force used to manage those marching in peace, and I felt rage watching the audacity of these violent cops. Next, after watching part of the beautiful and sad homegoing service for George Floyd, I felt a heaviness that was hard to shake off. The following weekend, I made a point to keep the TV off of CNN, and scrolled quickly past triggering content on social media. While I’ll admit I felt out of the loop a bit, it was worth the feeling of restoration I had after a brief news break. Enough of a break to regain the strength needed to get back into the conversations that we need to have for progress to happen. 

4.   Meditate

I’ll be a broken record on this topic, but the only way I’ll be able to maintain the peace that I restored after my news break will be with meditation. The mind-clearing and resilience-building benefits of meditation make it a worthwhile practice anytime, but especially now when you can anticipate that several more emotional triggers will likely happen given the day and age in which we live.

5.    Find your lane in the movement and take action

A lot of people are taking action in several ways. While you can’t do everything and maintain sanity, there’s probably one or two ways you can support positive movement toward racial justice. A few of my favorites include:

• Donating to an organization that supports racial justice through new programing, fighting legal battles and rallying support for civil rights and justice.
• Buying black: several black-owned business are a part of Juneteenth Shop Black, a day of shopping from black businesses around the country in honor of Juneteenth Day on Friday
• Helping to register and educate voters. We need to show up and show up at the polls this year more than ever before.
• Checking out Nextdoor.com to find out about local protests and other events in your area.

6.   Save space for joy

In the midst of these tough days, there are still birthdays, warmer weather and the slow reopening of the world that may allow for some socially-distant time with the friends and family you’ve missed. There has to be balance. Safeguard space and time for the things that bring you joy. After a long week, I had my heart set on watching the sunset over a local winery. On Saturday, I drank wine and stared off into space in the direction of rolling hills and vines of grapes. Today I feel refreshed again, and ready to bring my whole self into the work at hand with the strength and mental clarity that this moment in time requires.