Uncomfortable Conversations About Race Is Where Real Change Begins
An Interview with Jessica M. Oladapo, founder, Diversity 2 Inclusion, Inc.
“Initially, I ran from my calling,” Jessica Oladapo said with a smile in her voice. Those are surprising words coming from a person so passionate about her work with Diversity 2 Inclusion, an organization dedicated to training for cultural competence and cultural inclusion. “It’s absolutely my passion; it’s what I love.” That passion and love have transformed her into a highly sought-after expert in changing how companies and organizations view diversity and inclusion.
Jessica’s path to expert wasn’t a short one. In 1998, she started her extensive education with degrees in psychology and African American studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago. By 2005, she had also earned a graduate degree in sociology from DePaul. After graduate school, Jessica started her family and became a stay-at-home mom. However, it wasn’t long before the pull of education brought her back to school as she decided to get another advanced degree in psychology. Admittedly, Jessica says it might not have been “the best to start a grad program when your child is five weeks old.” Regardless, she not only dove into classwork but also started serving as a social work case manager. Jessica realized how vital the work she was doing as a social worker was, but she felt that she spent so much time doing paperwork that she couldn’t meet the needs of the clients to the level she wanted. “I was looking for a way to touch as many people as possible, those who are most marginalized in our society based on race, class, gender, or immigration status. These people are marginalized not because of abuse necessarily, but neglect, neglect because of lack of resources.” This desire to directly reach people led her to teaching. “Teaching was my ‘thing’. I really loved being in the classroom and talking to future teachers, social workers, parents, and community leaders. My goal was to just help people understand their own thinking around diversity.”
By 2010, teaching was her full-time job. Jessica was teaching seven classes each semester. She also became the co-chair of a diversity committee at her college. Teaching gave her a platform to reach a wider audience, and people started asking her to lead public-speaking engagements. At first, Jessica shied away from these speaker requests, questioning how that fit with her goals and schedule. “Eventually I just gave in. When you have a calling, it’s best to give in to that calling,” laughed Jessica. She started doing community talks. In 2015, Jessica received a request to provide diversity training for a police department in a small town in Illinois. She recalls thinking “A police department? I don’t know. In the middle of Illinois?” Following her calling, she led the training believing it would be a one-time engagement. One training for the department became two. Other community leaders came to the second training for the police. She then got asked to talk to the local school district, and then to other community leaders. The business grew. Diversity 2 Inclusion, Inc. had been born.
Five years after that first speaking request, Jessica’s career path truly does seem to have been destined. Her expertise and insight on the issues of race and inclusion are in high demand at this very time. “It’s funny how many folks that have an impact say initially ‘No, absolutely not. It’s not my calling to be a spokesperson for a movement’,” Jessica muses. “And, then I kind of got here.” The violence and subsequent riots of the past month in our country and around the world have people seeking answers to the big questions: Why? Why did this happen? Why is the community so angry? Why didn’t I see what has been happening in my own community? Why has this gone on for so long? It’s not surprising that Jessica has seen an increase in the number of people reaching out to her for information to answer those big questions in the past few weeks. “What I’m always thinking is what’s the motivation for reaching out to me,” she explains. “I think right now a huge motivator is fear. People are afraid of saying the wrong thing, of offending colleagues, of losing employees. There’s a great deal of fear in the social unrest. Fear, in itself, isn’t a bad motivator. The problem is if we respond in fear only and don’t respond immediately. We all seek comfort, hope the fear goes down, and we go back to normalcy.” While fear is one powerful motivator for people reaching out to Jessica, another huge motivator is people coming to what she calls “this awareness” that systemic racism against black people is still a huge problem in our country. “There are people out there saying ‘I had no idea this is such a thing.’ And, I’m thinking ‘Where have you been? Black folks have been saying this forever. Where have you been?’”
Where have we been? As business leaders, each of us can ask ourselves that question. And, more specifically, where are we going moving forward from this recent social uprising and spotlight focus on systemic racism? Jessica suggests that to plot a path forward as business leaders, we first and foremost need to be curious—curious about other people’s experiences and curious about our own thoughts. We need to ask ourselves how we’re responding, what personal social economic situations have led us to where we are, and how we are seeing someone else’s response through that lens. “Introspection is the most vital thing,” she advises. “If we aren’t being introspective, it’s really easy to blame people for their plight.”
Conversations about diversity and racism can be uncomfortable especially in the workplace. That uncomfortable space is where change begins. “I believe that effective business leaders have a responsibility to model empathy, grace, compassion and care, and inclusion,” says Jessica. By holding one-on-one conversations or organizing town halls, leaders can first listen to understand the experiences of those they lead. Through active listening, leaders can then develop systems and task forces to assist with everyday operations. An organization can state that it has agency and a stake in diversity, but there must be policies and practices in place to make sure there truly is systemic equality.
For organizations that have diversity policies and practices in place but struggle in recruiting diverse candidates, Jessica has some very basic insight: “You’re not looking in the right places or people of color don’t see your organization as a workplace that is inclusive. If you only go into white spaces to recruit, what are you going to get?” Recruitment leaders need to look at not only their recruitment locations but also the tone and language used in posting job positions and talking about the organization. “Institutional and systemic racism is revealed by the tone and language that is used in describing what kind of candidates you’re seeking to fill a position. If you use language like ‘professionalism’ what does that mean? Do I have to change my hair? Do I have to dress a certain way? You have to take a fine-tooth comb to the whole institution, language used, publications, interacting with the community, shifting the culture.”
Through the shadow of the diversity crisis, Jessica does see a ray of light. “People are asking how can they be a good ally to people of color. I think that’s so powerful.” Countless companies, organizations, and individuals have issued statements in support of equality and anti-racism. The big question remains: Will there be lasting societal and organizational change? “I hope that it changes for good. In the immediate, it will change motivated by fear. There is a lot of pressure by people of color, particularly black folks, on leadership to make a statement. But, if you ain’t an ally, don’t make a statement. That’s performative ally-ship. After you have pressured the leader to make a statement, they make a well-written statement, hang it on the wall showing here’s the statement; here’s what we said. But by September, how well are you doing? A year from now, how are you doing? Hope is that the statement became institutionalized. That’s the hope.”
