Anyone Can Make A Positive Difference

One thing that’s become extremely apparent to me over the last few months is that anyone can make a positive difference. You don’t have to be a first responder or in a position of power to do that. 

I don’t have the education or background for those kinds of jobs. I chose social media and graphic design as my career path and am extremely content using the skills and education I have to provoke change. Anyone can use their individual skills and education to provoke change. Even if you feel you don’t have any specific skills (which is not true), there is power in having conversations, using your own platforms, self-education, and showing up for those in pain. 

In the Bible, we see God choosing who we’d think to be the most unqualified to make change, again and again. He is also the one who gave us our individual talents and skills. 1 Peter 4:10 says “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”  

Rising to a position of power or possibly changing your career path to become a first responder takes time and enough is enough. Through protests, petitions, and digital protests (AKA social media outrage), so much has already changed in a fast amount of time. For example, racist leaders have resigned or been fired, problematic statues have been taken down, cities across the United States have announced plans for police reform, and many companies are showing their true colors by being pressured to share how they are going to face the institutionalized racism in their cultures. 

This is a start that was accelerated through social media and protests. We cannot take our foot off the gas. 

If we can get more people of color into positions of power, that would definitely help. But again, that takes time and institutionalized racism still exists. Yes, we had a Black president, but 1 colored president out of 45? That’s a great example of slow progress and slow progress is not okay. We need to do better. Here are some examples of racism in the professional realm that people of color currently face today and why it’s not so easy to for POC to just climb the ladder:

  • Black professionals continue to experience systemic racism and differential treatment, which impacts their performance, distribution of rewards, and career outcomes (Cornelius, Tonya H)

  • Black professional men are twice as likely to be unemployed as their White counterparts. They also earn 20 percent less, with the greatest disparity occurring at the higher echelons of corporate America (Cornelius).

  • POC also experience covert gendered racism in the hiring process. As ―soft skills – defined broadly as interaction skills and motivation skills – have become increasingly more important to employers, these elusive criteria have proven detrimental to Black men in gaining access to jobs. Studies indicate employers believe Whites have greater soft skills than Blacks and Black women have greater soft skills than Black men. Black women are seen as easier to work with and less aggressive than Black men. This conclusion that Black men have less of a chance of getting into occupations requiring higher levels of soft skills not only speaks to problems Black professional men encounter with getting hired, but also signals trouble for their ongoing career development (Cornelius). 

  • Companies are more than twice as likely to call minority applicants for interviews if they submit whitened resumes than candidates who reveal their race—and this discriminatory practice is just as strong for businesses that claim to value diversity as those that don’t (Harvard Business School).

  • On average, white applicants receive 36% more callbacks than equally qualified African Americans. [...] Discrimination continues, and we find little evidence in regards to African Americans that it is disappearing or even gradually diminishing. Instead, we find the persistence of discrimination at a distressingly uniform rate (PNAS).

There is a lot of injustice in the world and it’s not enough to just sit idly by. To have the ability to not care about politics and fighting for what’s right, that’s your privilege talking. As Christians, the Bible calls us to “learn to do right, seek justice, and defend the oppressed” Isaiah 1:17.

If enough of us stand up against injustice, injustice cannot win. Speak up on the platforms you have and if only one person is moved to action, that makes all the difference. Don’t believe the lie that you can’t cause positive change because you absolutely can.

Social Media As A Tool For Social Justice

Since the Black Lives Matter movement really picked up, post-George Floyd murder, I’ve been thinking a lot about how powerful social media is. For people who really truly care about the issues at hand, it’s a great instrument in the fight for social justice.  

Not everyone has the ability to protest, due to disability, anxiety, work schedules, and so many more reasons that shouldn’t matter. What matters is that these people who can’t protest, are supporting the protesters and the struggle for justice through other means. These means can be spreading the word of local protests, sharing resources for self-education, spreading petitions and donation websites, and giving a voice to the unheard. And what’s the best way to do this you may ask? If you have ANY kind of following on your social media accounts, these are your platforms to speak against injustice and to take action. Social media has become an extremely powerful tool for those who know how to use it right. Social media allows us to boost awareness and share resources — it allows us to easily communicate, organize, and mobilize.

Pre-internet, it was hard for people to know everything that was going on, but today we don’t miss it and the younger generations who really know how to use social media as a tool for change, have had enough. We’re sick of injustice, racism, lies, and terrible people getting away with — quite literally murder — or treason, extortion, coercion, etc…  because they are in high positions of power. 

We also realize that there is a lot of fake news out there and know when it comes to research, to look for multiple trustworthy sources to back up the beliefs we are forming in response to widespread videos of injustice. We’re not stupid kids. In fact, according to PEW Research Center, millennials are 24–39 right now. We are a generation of adults who are more than capable of researching and forming opinions, just like the generations before us. Also, watch out for Gen Z. The oldest of them are turning 23 this year and they are the largest generation, most ethnically diverse, most educated, and are stereotyped as “social justice warriors” for a reason. They’re even more tech-savvy than millennials. 

The internet is how the younger generations grow and learn. We know how to use it and we aren’t afraid to. 


Black Lives Matter

I have such a huge heart for people and I often find myself beating myself up for not choosing a job where I can directly help. For example — a nurse, a therapist, a teacher, but today I was reminded by my boss that what we do is important. What we do as a social media team for Nickelodeon directly impacts kids. We offer escapism from a scary world, but also offer education. 

I work with so many amazing kids and I want them to know the adults in their lives are fighting for a world where they can feel loved and unafraid. My heart breaks to know that they are scared and confused. 

My heart also breaks because I have loved ones who don’t understand that this is so much more than just one black man’s terrible death. It’s about the many deaths of our black brothers and sisters, the frustration over decades of failed police practice and training reform, and the ingrained racism in our country. It’s about fighting a system that was built broken and a president who tweets what his followers want to hear while he hides inside the White House. We need a real leader. 

In November, obviously get out there and vote Trump out of office, but also make sure to start participating in your smaller state and local elections. I know I will. I have learned through all of this that those elections are what have a huge impact on our criminal justice system and police practices. 

Outside of voting and attending your local protests, something else you can do is donate! Donate your money or your time!

Go clean-up the local neighborhoods after protests have ended or donate your money to one of the various organizations who are making a difference during these troubling times (listed below). 

Obama said it himself, violence and looting is not the answer. Neither is “All Lives Matter” and let’s just love each other. Even more so, silence is definitely not an answer either, but a sign of betrayal.

And while I can never fully understand what my black brothers and sisters are feeling right now, I will do my best to come alongside them and listen, learn, and fight for change. Let’s make this world a better place for our children. 


Donate

The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc. - Donate Here

Black Lives Matter - Donate Here

The Loveland Foundation - Donate Here

The Innocence Project - Donate Here

The Bail Project - Donate Here

My company also matches any amount up to $1000 donated to any cause. If you have a specific cause you would like to donate to and have ViacomCBS match it, let me know. 

You can eat at a black-owned business in your area: https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2020-05-31/black-owned-restaurants-in-los-angeles

You can even use the smile.amazon url to donate to any charity you’d like: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/chpf/homepage?orig=Lw==

Information and Research

Campaign Zero

Race Forward

Election Information

Why Saying “All Lives Matter” Is Harmful: https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/politics/a27075028/black-lives-matter-explained/