A short spoken-word piece by journalist Soledad O’Brien (recorded for Salesforce’s #MakeChange series) arguing that businesses must confront race and enable authentic storytelling. O’Brien frames her experiences as a mixed-race Black woman as a source of insight leaders should harness, and calls for courage to speak up in important moments.
Nobody wants to necessarily talk about race, but I think you have to. If you want to have a successful bottom line, then you're going to have to navigate some of these conversations that people feel like we have to have today. The companies that do it best confront it head on. I think people are just beginning to understand the power of a true, authentic story. My experience as a black woman, mixed race woman in America is different than other people's for women of color and people of color that because you're on the outside, you can sort of bring in other and other voices that I think is so incredibly powerful. And I think if people can harness that, they would learn that their story has a tremendous ability to motivate people. What's the point of having a seat at the table if at the moment when it matters, you're too afraid for your job to open your mouth and say something that needs to be said? My name is Soledad o' Brien and I'm ready to make change.
