Why must we continually prioritize the comfort of those who cause us harm? We deserve workplaces free of discrimination, harassment, intimidation, and retaliation. Join us, as we learn together ways and means to share our discomfort, unease, and experiences of injustice by calling upon our rights, and equal need for comfort. We meet at the intersection of "Being Right" and "Effective".  Let's get to work. Better. ​

 We came together and before we began, we remembered what we come from. This earth holds us in our learning, shows us compassion and care, how may we do the same? Don't we deserve comfort and care as we give it so freely to others deserving or not? What do we look like when we do this? What do we look like when we don't? Stereotypes portray our righteous indignation as irrational anger, insolence, insubordination, disloyalty, ineptitude. But who does that serve? We leave with a vengeance, with retribution and debilitating hatred soaking our delicate souls. No, that's not healthy and no, it's not normal. We have normalized injustice as default. No more. Perpetrators of inequity are the company's liability, not those who name injustice. 

On this day, in this space surrounded by those who love, we share our answers to the question, "What do I look like when I know the job needs me more than I need it?" What do we look like to ourselves and others when we tolerate injustice and when we don't? Following is a recount of what was learned about how we teach others to treat us. This is us taking responsibility. Back. 

We recognize confidence not as a destination, but as an ability and invitation to learn. In our ideal we are always seen as learners, those confident enough to learn, and learn in public. Yet when we are confident, others see us as too emotional, coming on too strong. or even worse, imposters. Oh, if they only knew! We've learned to key in on all signs, smelling evidence a mile away...one being all the "Good Folks" quitting. We too then fanaticize about a dramatic quit scene, as the best part of the job. We hate burning bridges, we understand jams. but we also recognize mind control / mental slavery when we see it and there's literally not enough money in the world...Guilt trips don't work anymore; if we leave our position we know it shall be filled and us, forgotten.

We take guidance from those among us who actively decolonize the mind and practice zero expectation of marginalization. We talk to managers, we send food back. Listen to Black Women, we understand how to show up with compassion and simultaneously give zero fucks on how others judge us. And we ALL know what's true, we already accounted for our collective worth. Because in many ways, we are simply UNEMPLOYABLE. We don't tolerate anything anymore because we don't depend on money for our happiness or to fulfill our soul desires. In the most professional way, we say, "Fuck you, capitalism and go ahead and keep your fake-ass impostor syndrome." Yeah, we cuss. One voice alone is righteous indignation, and ours combined here is validation. Let us fill stadiums and make the wind blow different with our rowdy applause and boisterous declarations of love.  We chant, "I love you, you have value, we need you, what do you need..."

We ARE loud. We are persistent. Our patience is not infinite.  They see us as bullies, reverse racists, aggressive, cocky, crazy, entitled, straight up intimidating...We know we're scary, the Truth is scary; The truth that capitalism is a racist tool, and we are on the road to liberation. We don't need this job, we have social net worth. You. Need. Us. More, Than. We. Need. You. So raise your bar, dear organizations, and figure out how to manage the truth because we deserve justice wherever we exist.

We read, "Decolonizing Wealth", and "The Four Agreements", we listen to poets like Ocean Vuong and Azura Tyabji. and you know what we say? "We're mad as hell and we're not gonna take this anymore!" Then, we smile at each other in genuine love as our bodies and voices change the very direction of the wind. Stay in tune, worthy one, the future is upon us!

When talking about complaints, we insist on considering liability to a fault. Yet, we get it sooooo wrong. Look: If an organization has an employee that continually breaks other laws around safety or literally any other protocol, we can easily apply the label of "Whoa, that's a liability". To ignore such a risk to safety and mission to the point of crime is obviously an unacceptable liability.
Guess what. Discrimination is a crime. Harassment is a crime. Retaliation is a crime. And those who commit said illegal acts are in fact, a LIABILITY. Why then, is the employee who finds a way to complain, to point out illegal behavior, placed in the liability category? Because we have the right to tell others and protect our rights via bona fide legal systems?
We say, "Nah." We are not the liability, instead look at those who perpetrate illegal acts as the greatest risk.  Of those surveyed, 47% of Americans would quit their job for less pay for a better cultural fit. The average cost of an unskilled position is $3,800. Those who cause harm are the liability.
And, no. Harassment is not a "difference of leadership styles". And no. It need not be connected to one's demographic identity. So far, our community has listed the following acts as evidence of harassment:

• Questioning credentials, intellect, expertise, and/or capacity without evidence
• Unsolicited comments / conversations regarding one’s identity(ies) and/or culture
• Patronizing / consistently over-explaining
• Consistent aggression for no discernable reason
• Consistently interrupting or not allowing one to speak
• Speaking disparagingly about someone to others (marginalization), or in public
• Speaking about someone in the third person while they're present ("Is he ignoring me?")
• Not allowing or interfering with others reasonably socializing
• Consistently assigning less favorable tasks
• Not giving proper credit to work products
• Removal and/or addition of duties and responsibilities without justification
• Aggressively not allowing for mistakes or human error
• Invading personal space
• Unreasonable and/or unfair expectations around time allowances
• Violating confidentiality
• Involving unnecessary people in conflict

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In your experience, what would you add to this list of acts of workplace harassment? Let them know what we know exactly how they are liable for your wellbeing. Name it. 

If the person you identified as causing harm happens to not your supervisor, you followed through with the written or assumed instructions to, "Contact your supervisor". Or, you trusted HR to protect your rights. Perhaps then you were surprised to discover that the person(s) you've identified are considered innocent until you, on your own advocacy, prove them responsible. For hurting your feelings. Until then, the racist/sexist/homophobe/transphobe/ableist/ageist is assumed innocent. And you, labelled "The Troublemaker". Forever.
​FACTS:
You are a Troublemaker. A Good One. Stay just like that too. But what happened here is wrong. No one calls victims of theft or assault "troublemakers" because they sought remedy...
FACTS:
The presumption of innocence in tandem with assigning the burden of proof works well for the vulnerable in physical, criminal crimes. A car was stolen, who stole it and whose responsibility to prove the theft? Public defenders, prosecutors, detectives, all oil systems to protect rights and liberty of both victim and accused. So why are victims of discrimination crimes considered troublemakers, and left to protect ourselves? Hmmm.
How does someone on their own go about proving the theft of one's dignity as discrimination/harassment/retaliation? But dignity is not tangible property so we get confused. It's time to re-examine basics of justice: Who is presumed innocent, and whose burden is that to prove when it comes to crimes of culture. 
That's why what happened was wrong. While intangible, discrimination, harassment, intimidation, and retaliation are all crimes. We have predictable, standardized systems to protect these inalienable rights outside the workspace, we deserve the same at the hands of our organizations' internal justice systems. It's not only a legal a responsibility, but as fellow human beings (employees) who deserve to work free of inequity. 
We done spoke truth to power, and sometimes it worked. Now, we speak the language of power and it sounds like truth and love. Welcome to a new season of change. We're louder and we're singing this time. Let us look forward and be bold, we deserve it. A new normal emerges, won't you join us?