IM21: How to Navigate Identity and Racism in Corporate Culture with Regina Jackson

Embracing Only: Workplace Culture & Career Development for BIPOC Leaders

Episode Highlight: On this episode of the "Embracing Only" podcast, we are featuring one of the most impactful moments from episode 51, with guest Regina Jackson. As a woman of color, it is not your responsibility to educate others about racism, but how do you navigate racist issues in corporate culture? That’s what we’re discussing in this episode.

Regina was born in Chicago in 1950 and remembers the violence perpetrated on innocent people, like the horrific treatment of civil rights workers throughout the south, by white people. These memories drive Regina to push for real change in America and are why she founded Race2Dinner with Saira Roa in 2019. Race2Dinner is an organisation that facilitates honest conversation about race with white women to ensure that their allyship is more than performative.

This episode is just a short snippet that highlights the best and most powerful learning moment from a past episode. You can listen to the full episode (filled with more wisdom) here: Episode 51: Start your anti-racism journey with Regina Jackson from Race2Dinner.

Key Discussion Points:

00:56 The Importance of Self-Reliance: No one is coming to save you. You need to focus on yourself and navigate your environment with your goals in mind.

02:34 The Burden of Educating Others About Racism in a Corporate Space: It is not your burden to educate people about racism. If possible, hire a consultant to come into your corporate space to educate people on this topic.

04:14 The Value of Lived Experience: It is very difficult to convince someone that something exists if they have not experienced it for themselves.

07:54 Defining Your Identity:  If you can answer the questions who are you, what do you want, and why do you want it, you have reduced the possibility of someone else defining your identity.

09:21 Operating Out of Your Values: When you operate out of your values, there is never a question about what you are going to do.

In Summary: Regina Jackson urges us not to take on the burden of educating others about racism in the workplace and rather prioritize strategic advancement over unnecessary emotional labor. She challenges us to operate from our values and not let anyone else define our identity.

Resources from this episode:

Follow Regina on Instagram or visit her website.

White Women: Everything You Already Know About Your Own Racism and How to Do Better by Regina Jackson and Saira Rao

If you happen to be a woman of color and you are looking for a community of like minded women, join Olivia here: https://www.mysistersshoulders.com/

Connect with your hosts:

Follow Archita on Linkedin or check out her website.

Follow Olivia on Linkedin or check out her website.

Follow Embracing Only on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook, or check out the website.

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Produced by Ideablossoms