My project will be examining what it means to have significant and purposeful equity and inclusion for Black people in the workplace. I’ll be working with sources that are first-hand accounts of experiences of Black employees as well as scholarly sources that provide historical context on how misperceptions about Black people in society at-large leaks into the workplace. I’ll also be using data that shows higher levels of inequitable treatment of Black workers versus most other ethnicities as well as how initiatives that work for other underrepresented groups may not work for Black employees, despite the reverse being true. Additionally, I will speak to several of the criticisms that some people will surely have regarding this topic. I plan on building a case for there to be objectives and policies put into place that address the unique needs of Black employees and why this might benefit an organization. Ultimately, I hope to offer concrete solutions on how to meet those objectives. My intended audience will be company leaders and executives because as we’ve all learned as a class, without the buy-in of those at the top, meaningful change to company culture will not happen.
Sounds like a solid plan. How do you think you can effectively address these decision-makers? Are you thinking about an article for a magazine or website that targets this powerbroker group? about a presentation that might be delivered at a conference or PD/HR event? something else? Imagine the rhetorical situation in which you would want to deliver this material, and look for some examples of that type of work, so that you can build upon the rhetorical choices you see there.
Let me know if you’d like to talk about this some more.