Resistance to Promoting Black Excellence

Later this month, we will be covering the resistance that Black workers face when it comes to issues of culture change, successful implementation of DE&I initiatives, and re-evaluating workplace norms. However, before we do so, it is important to address a critical barrier to removing this resistance – a lack of Black representation at the change-agent level.

Black excellence has historically not been celebrated at the Executive level. Even in 2020, Black workers were underrepresented at Executive levels by significantly less than half of what would be expected in an equitable environment. A traditional change process preaches the importance of buy-in from the top levels, and the lack of representative change agents can foster resistance toward shifting culture norms or successfully implementing key DE&I initiatives.

As we speak about resistance this month, we will do so in the context of this continued power imbalance, by encouraging organizations to reflect on their own pipeline and to put more power into the hands of those driving the work at the entry level.