I love LinkedIn as a platform. Unlike a lot of the others, it feels relatively untouched by the talk of algorithms, and it’s pretty clear what it’s there for. Whilst there’s been an increase in people posting more personal stories – I can’t count how many have said “I don’t normally post personal stories here” or “I know LinkedIn is for work but…” – I’ve also noticed a new type of post which I think is a little more insidious. For the purposes of this post I’ll call it performative diversity.
This is where an inter-racial dynamic takes place (typically a romantic relationship) and there’s a whole piece which tell us the about how the relationship came to be followed by a series of hashtags like #lovehasnocolour #dandI and #diversitymatters.
These posts feel performative with a severe misunderstanding of what’s needed when it comes to creating an equal society. They ultimately equate to the social media version of “I’m not racist” or “I have Black friends” or when celebrities go to parts of Africa to ‘help’ alongside a massive camera crew. (And I get the sentiment – celebrity power can elevate a cause but I think that is a tactic that’s lost it’s bite).
Some of my favourites include a woman applauding herself for taking her husband’s obviously Nigerian surname. Another spoke about the racism they faced when revealing they had a Black daughter, one they adopted when she was three years old.
I understand the sentiment: I don’t subscribe to the ideas of some of my counterparts, but LinkedIn is not the space to really do the work. If you genuinely want to do the work, it is:
- Challenging those who say something inappropriate around you
- Educate yourself and others on the Black experience through recommended books, podcasts videos. Google is your best friend in this instance.
- Remind others that they alone have a personal duty to discover what they need to learn.
- Champion diversity where you may be a person of influence.
- Don’t ‘stop seeing colour’, it’s actually insulting when you say that. Colour is a part of our identity but shouldn’t be used to discredit or pre judge someone.
- Don’t display your diversity and certainly do not add hashtags
Authentic allyship is all of the above and is not the speight of posts showing how progressive you apparently are.
Stay on the impactful side of D&I and if your actions aren’t bringing about measurable change even in one person maybe its time to head back to the drawing board?
