A Call to Action for the DISC Community (Copy)
Dear DISC Community,
We know that you are outraged by the murders of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others. We know you are aware of the systemic racism and police brutality that have plagued our nation for generations. We know that you care deeply about diversity and inclusion and creating welcoming spaces for all. We know that you believe in taking action to create structural and institutional changes in organizations. But, we also know that as DISC leadership, as Penn students, and as human beings, we have not done enough.
To our black peers, we see the injustices and we hear the frustration. While many of us can never understand the hurt, we stand together. We hear you and are here for you.
The time to reflect and take immediate action is now. We encourage you to donate, protest, read, listen, and amplify Black voices. This has to happen today, tomorrow, and every day that follows. Listed below, DISC exec has compiled a snapshot of resources that we found particularly relevant to our work. If you are interested in continuing this conversation by sending out additional resources and/or organizing a discussion group this summer and beyond, please reach out to any of us individually or email penndisc@gmail.com.
Make a difference with your money:
Ways to donate, including ways if you don’t have the financial resources to donate:
Multiply your impact with Penn student organizations that are matching donations: https://linkr.in/rebjiang
Many companies will also match donations made by their employees - even if you are not working full-time now, you can encourage others to do so and keep in mind for the future
Black-Owned Businesses You Can Support Today
App to find black-owned restaurants: EatOkra
Make a difference with your mind:
Have crucial, difficult conversations about racism with the people in your life.
Sign petitions: list of active petitions
Educate yourself using anti-racism resources for non-black people: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1OSLzLFcDEeI86nTbClZpgGw5CTAd7Lo3
Educate Yourself:
Shorter reads:
US Businesses Must Take Meaningful Action Against Racism (Harvard Business Review)
Here are 15 Black nonprofit and community voices to listen to in Philadelphia (Generocity)
How companies can show solidarity beyond posting #BlackLivesMatter
'We are Living in a Racism Pandemic,' Says APA President (American Psychological Association)
Black Trauma And Showing Up At Work (Refinery29)
Communities, Organizations, and Mental Health Resources for Black Professionals
Medium reads:
White Fragility (International Journal of Critical Pedagogy)
#BlackEmployeesMatter: Mega-Threats, Identity Fusion, and Enacting Positive Deviance in Organizations | Academy of Management Review (Academy of Management Review)
Toward a Racially Just Workplace (Harvard Business Review)
Longer reads (many are back-ordered - try Penn Libraries, black-owned bookstores, your local library, and the Drive linked above):
Race, Work, and Leadership: New Perspectives on the Black Experience by Laura Morgan Roberts, Anthony J. Mayo, and David A. Thomas
How To Be An Antiracist by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together In the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum
So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
Watch and listen:
13th (Netflix) + discussion guide
Nine Podcasts That Demand Your Attention This Week (Vanity Fair)
The Systems that Protect the Police (The Daily)
8 Essential Shows and Documentaries to Learn About Police Brutality and Racial Justice (TV Guide)
Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace (HBR Ideacast)
Interactive mixed media: Talking About Race (National Museum of African American History and Culture)
Newsletters:
Black lives matter. Today and every day.
DISC Executive Board, Past and Present
Becca Bean, rbean@wharton.upenn.edu
Ellie Rampulla, rampulla@sas.upenn.edu
Grace Seeley, gseeley@wharton.upenn.edu
Rania Zakaria, raniaz@wharton.upenn.edu
Sarina Divan, sdivan@wharton.upenn.edu
Sima Parekh, sjparekh@wharton.upenn.edu
Tanvee Patankar, tanveep@wharton.upenn.edu
Tiffany Paul, tipaul@wharton.upenn.edu