Do.

First and foremost, I commit to doing the work, today, tomorrow, and every day to disentangle, dismantle, and repair 400+ years of systemic racism. This work will not be easy or comfortable. There has to be a commitment to stepping into that discomfort and getting comfortable with being uncomfortable, every single day. Because there is only the work. And there is no end to this work. Not in any of our lifetimes.

Committing to this movement is the first step in a new effort of doing the work, making mistakes, learning, being uncomfortable, saying the wrong thing, apologizing, changing, educating, and activating. Not just talking and endless equivocating.

The problems may seem insurmountable, and many struggle on where to even begin. But each person on this journey must recognize that the first step begins with listening to different voices with different lived experiences. There must be a commitment to do  simple, actionable steps at the beginning of your journey of doing the work.

Just as importantly, each person must commit to reporting on their progress on each of the following efforts when queried to demonstrate, measure, and assess the progress that I and my peers have made to improve the diversity, equity, and inclusion of the Portland business community.

Here are the initial commitments as you begin to do the work:

• Following one new Black person on a social media platform, each week. 

• Refusing to attend, speak at, or promote events that feature all white speakers or token representation from the Black community.

• Actively seeking out, attending, and promoting at least one event that has equitable Black representation, each quarter.

• Purchasing a product from, service from, or dining at a Black owned business at least once each month.

• Attending at least one professional networking and/or hiring event focused on members of the Black community, each quarter.

Do more.

Once you have engaged in the work above, commit to continuing to do that work. In addition, commit to do more by doing the following:

• Since you are now actively engaged with more Black voices on social media, commit to amplifying one of those Black voices on social media, each week.

• Since you have already spoken with your actions by not attending homogeneously white events, commit to actively voicing your concerns to the organizers of events that feature all white speakers or token representation from the Black community, and to actively dissuade my peers from participating in these events.

• Since you have begun the work to identify events that have adequate representation from the Black community, commit to bringing one of your coworkers and/or peers from your chosen company/organization to at least one event each quarter that has Black representation in its speakers.

• Since you have begun to gain an appreciation for the variety of Black owned businesses in and around the Portland metropolitan area, commit to buying at least one service or gift/gift certificate per month from Black owned establishments in and around Portland and to share the story of that establishment with each recipient of the service or gift.

• Since you have begun to engage in professional networking and/or hiring events that are focused on the Black community, commit to bringing a peer from human resources, talent procurement, or a hiring manager to at least one professional networking and/or hiring event focused on members of the Black community, each quarter.

Do better.

Once you have engaged in the work above in “Do” and “Do More,” commit to continuing to do that work. But recognize that you can do better by committing to additional efforts listed below.

• Moving beyond simply amplifying Black voices on social media by working to highlight one Black social media account that you recommend followers should follow, each week. 

• Actively and vocally discouraging your entire company/organization from engaging in, volunteering at, sponsoring, and/or hosting events that feature all white speakers or token representation from the Black community.

• Convincing your chosen company/organization to sponsor, volunteer for, and/or host at least one event each quarter that has equitable Black representation in its speakers or content.

• Actively using or advocating for the use of budget dollars to purchase products, services, and/or meals from Black owned Portland establishments for your company/organization at least once a quarter, as well as actively sharing the story of that establishment and the reasoning for its selection with the entire company/organization.

• Actively using or advocating for the use budget dollars from your company/organization to sponsor and support at least one professional networking and/or hiring event focused on members of the Black community, each quarter.