Beyond Words
The Real Test of Anti-Racism in Organizations
“The beauty of anti-racism is that you don’t have to pretend to be free of racism to be an anti-racist. Anti-racism is the commitment to fight racism wherever you find it, including in yourself. And it’s the only way forward.”
~ Ijeoma Oluo
Racism requires confrontation at both the interpersonal and systemic levels. While I believe the pursuit of racial justice must begin in the hearts of individuals, this is not where the responsibility ends. Groups of people form organizations, and the leaders of those organizations create and shape systems; when those systems are unjust, those leaders must be accountable for the outcomes they produce. Confronting racism systemically is challenging for many reasons, but one of the most ardent is the words that are frequently detached from a willingness to act — to acknowledge and address racism.
For me, most institutions and organizations lack a real commitment to fighting racism. Instead, they often act surprised when faced with racial discrimination close to home. Even with all the “DEI” training and carefully crafted statements about values, leaders are often unprepared and ill-equipped to deal with racism. A practise or praxis, as Paulo Freire wrote about, is the “reflection and action upon the world in order to transform it.” Words don’t create change; they set an expectation of action. Talking like an anti-racist without real action only reveals the contradiction.
True commitment to racial justice is demonstrated through accountable actions, not just inspiring words.
Yet many organizations substitute rhetoric for genuine change, relying on eloquent value statements that sound impressive but fail to drive action.
For example, here is one such declaration close to home.
“Our reputation and success come from living our shared values every day and earning the respect of people we work with and the customers and communities we serve…These values unite us across business groups, culture and geographies and define who we are and what we stand for as an organization.”
These words are from the Code of Conduct of a well-known Canadian bank—famous for its blue three-letter logo—that features a Black actor in its commercials. I’ve experienced how this tokenization presents an image of Black solidarity without any real substance. They use these images and statements to set expectations, but they forget that people are watching their actions. When put to the test, actions reveal true commitment.
Many organizations claim to value “diversity, equity, and inclusion,” and create messages that sound reassuring but are only impressive on the surface. What really matters is how their words stand up to scrutiny. All their talk of “shared values” and respect must be more than mere lip service. Bridging the gap between intention and action requires organizations to hold themselves accountable for turning these values into concrete, measurable actions that address injustice and build trust. Instead, many organizations and their leaders focus on avoiding a racist reputation rather than actually addressing the problem. It’s much easier to pretend to be anti-racist than to do the hard work of real change and repair.
Today, businesses operate in racially diverse communities. Accordingly, almost every institution or organization has statements declaring their commitment to racial equity and justice. Many in leadership feel that statements alone suffice as a show of commitment. The sincerity of commitment can only be proven when put to the test.
Moving from words to genuine anti-racist action requires leaders to prioritize repair. As outlined in the book From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century, Darity and Mullen (2020) share that meaningful reparations must include acknowledgment, restitution, and closure, a defined below.
Acknowledgement means that those who have benefited from a social injustice recognize that a wrong was committed, and that those harmed deserve some form of repair.
Restitution constitutes the actual program that’s enacted to undertake that form of repair.
Closure occurs when the harmed community acknowledges they have received fair compensation and agrees that no further group-specific requests are needed, unless new injustices arise.
Sadly, I have very few examples of repair in the aftermath of racist acts. Eloquent organizational commitments do not mend what has been broken or restore what has been stolen or lost. Instead, statements like the one shared above only offer a list of hollow collective principles that bring no healing. The values often presented look like this:
Integrity: Do what’s right.
Empathy: Put others first.
Diversity: Learn from difference.
Responsibility: Make tomorrow better.
On first glance, these principles might seem like a helpful guide for leaders and staff, but without clarity and accountability, they don’t mean much. Who decides what “do what’s right” actually means? Without a clear definition, especially in the context of the five commitments—as shared below—this same bank shares publicly, the idea of ‘right’ becomes ambiguous and open to interpretation.
Make a Positive Impact
Do What’s Right
Protect our Brand
Avoid Conflicts
Speak Up!
For instance, what does “Do what’s right” mean when it abuts to “Protect our Brand”? Is it possible to protect both the brand and customers at the same time? To me, that sounds like a conflict of interest, an oxymoron. Too many questions emerge for me, and perhaps the company has explanations somewhere in its many promises, but what really matters is how they respond to injustice in real time. What does “doing what’s right” look like when facing complaints of racism? Do their leaders know how to confront such complaints? How do they hold themselves accountable?
Too often, leaders in these organizations are not prepared or supported to deal with racial injustice.
On paper, this bank is saying all the right things, but that did not help them address anti-Black racism when it happened to me last June at one of their local branches. Although I will share the full story in my next essay, here is a preview of what happened: After filing a complaint and following all official procedures, my complaint of racism was denied, and without ever receiving a meaningful response or acknowledgment of the racial harm. The impact was lasting, leaving me feeling invisible, scrutinized and disrespected. My year-long experience highlights that when organizations rely solely on procedures and statements, real trust is lost, staff are left without guidance, and harm remains unresolved.
As a starting point, organizations could be clearer by defining what ‘right’ means in their value statements and by using real examples or questions to help leaders and staff make decisions that align with the law and their ethical standards, especially on issues like racial justice.
Let’s not forget, racism is against the law!
For leaders to act effectively, organizations need a reorientation of their ways of working, with a focus on human dignity and connection. Recently, my sister and colleague, Chantelle Ohrling, developed an equity and right-relationship framework for a role within an organization she supports. It provides a powerful example of values in practice, along with a values-based decision matrix that illustrates the shift in orientation I’m describing. You can review it here. We must move away from the transactional toward the relational if we want to actually repair the harm caused by racial inequity and injustice. By investing time in the practise of the relational, organizations can better prepare their leaders to respond to racial harm with accountability, empathy, and humility.
“When we take risks and are willingly to give up our access, resources, privileges, safety, comfort, status, ego and power in service of equity and justice, we are not only remaining in integrity with ourselves, we are also opening ourselves up for the possibility of deeper and more genuine connections marked by our shared commitment to justice, freedom, and healing.”
~ Michelle MiJung Kim, author of The Wake Up: Closing the Gap Between Good Intentions and Real Change
In my next essay later this month, I will share the details of my experience at the bank branch to show how “doing the right thing” conflicted with “protecting their brand” and how following procedures alone is not enough without true accountability and a willingness to take responsibility. You will see how a lack of follow-through and meaningful repair can leave harm unaddressed, and why simply having anti-racist values or statements is not the same as practicing them in difficult moments. My hope is that these lessons help leaders understand what real commitment looks like and what is at stake when it is missing.
If you are a leader determined to move from intention to impact, consider starting with The Empathetic Power Checklist: 10 Practises to Lead with Heart Without Being Exploited. True change takes root with honest reflection, bold decisions, and a willingness to turn values into real action.
