IF YOUR ORGANISATION WAS A TREE WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE?
Biases are like viruses
For the most part they go undetected
Until the symptoms show
Whether it be a 16 year old trans girl stabbed by her peers
Or George Floyd killed by a white policeman
Or the child whose school failed to make adjustments and modifications for inclusion
Or the black autistic boy failed by his Local Authority @FrancesAkinde
Or the innocent civilians shot dead- by the lone gunman or in a war
Think of a healthy tree
At the root are biases
These are tackled and dealt with as the tree grows
Interventions and actions ensure healthy green leaves and the tree flourishes
It’s not perfect but it knows that not dealing with the illness will stunt its growth
Weeding and pruning are key to its survival
Next to this tree is an unhealthy, dying tree
At the root are its biases
These are denied, ignored and they go unchecked
Illness and disease follow
Masking and turning the other way leads to toxicity
The tree slowly withers and it’s leaves start to fall off
Some pretend there isn't a problem
Some try to treat the withering tree from the top- watering its leaves
But real meaningful change does not start there
We know that real change starts with treating its roots
Watering the tree and providing interventions
We need to deal with the root cause of the problem
Not just treat the symptoms
Biases are the root cause of hate, discrimination and oppression
Discriminatory behaviours stem from biases
They manifest as symptoms as bullying, sexism, racism
These symptoms have to be treated carefully
By rooting out the biases and ensuring weeds do not form
Masquerading as the real tree
This intervention is much easier when the tree is young
It becomes harder as the tree grows and its cultures and beliefs become ingrained.
The soil around can become too acidic or too alkaline.
Your organisation or community is like a tree
How healthy is it?
What do the leaves look like and are people leaving and withering?
How are you treating the problem
Do you turn away and ignore the problem?
Do you introduce policies and practices which treat the leaves?
And pretend you are taking action when you are not.
Are you shocked at the results and the symptoms
Like people leaving and mental health issues
Is it too late to treat the roots? (you ask).
To look at the biases that give rise to these symptoms?
Hope Springs Eternal.
It’s never too late to start authentic EDI work.
But like the health tree
Careful cultivation and weeding is needed and there are no quick fixes.
Ref:
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7136308751518568448?updateEntityUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_feedUpdate%3A%28V2%2Curn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7136308751518568448%29
