Black Lives Matter Protests and Awkward Conversations About Race

Melissa and Mike begin with a frank conversation about how we’ve been responding to the Black Lives Matter protests and related civic and personal upheaval in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis. What’s the best way for organizations to navigate these tumultuous times? How should we think about acts of omission versus those of commission? How do we begin to lean into awkward conversations about race to begin to reach new levels of psychological safety, empathy, and understanding?

Then Dan Strafford adds his perspective as a father of three and someone who is frequently at a loss when it comes to reaching a clear understanding of what’s going on these days. We reference a great Chalkbeat article that captures the perspectives of K12 educators across the US, touch on an article by Dr Howard Stevenson out of U Penn Graduate School of Education on how to talk to children about racial issues, and conclude by referencing a quick Forbes article by Adunola Adeshola that describes 3 Things You Should Not Say to Your Black Colleagues Right Now. We don’t reach any tidy answers, but we’re happy to begin the conversation and look forward to continuing it.