Swapping the Lulu Lemon Hoodie for Anti-Racism Action
This post is about:
- Anti-racism work that needs to be done
- Salary transparency in the workplace
If those are triggers for you, kindly move to the next post in your feed.
I started my week by stumbling on this article from the National Museum of African American History & Culture:
Being Anti-Racist:
No matter how well we think we are doing to combat racism — [we] … anyone who is white or who has benefited from institutions of white privilege — we have a whole life of work yet to do to help change racist ideology rooted in America.
The Anti-Racism authors thoughtfully gave me a framework I can use to start contributing to the many anti-racism movements that need support across the country.
I’ll take a small detour, with good reason … All week I had my eye on this Lulu Lemon hoodie that I didn’t need, but wanted, for $148. I already owned one color of this hoodie, but it is a pretty awesome hoodie. When I find apparel that feels good to wear I sometimes get 2–3 colors in the style.
Just before writing this post I was about to buy another one of those hoodies, but then I stumbled on some pretty awesome work by Nehemiah Frank of The Black Wall Street Times.
He’s doing a Kickstarter for an amazing cause:
Immediately I wanted to support it. As I read the donation levels for the campaign I connected with the $250 contribution where I get plans to build a newspaper box in my neighborhood, which I can place the Black Wall Street Times in that are sent to me. Awesome!
This is where I faced my first white privilege conundrum of the day, and coming back to my main points… Do I buy the Lulu Lemon hoodie and postpone my Kickstarter donation? Do I buy both!?
The fact that a $400 splurge on any given Wednesday has no effect on my lifestyle made me stop to reconsider my intentions to do either. I went back to the Anti-Racism article and the main takeaway is to “Stop & Think” … small choices can add up to big changes.
Which brings you and I to the expository I’m now composing.
Small Choice 1 — Share my Salary
I make $150,000 a year doing the work I do. I can buy the hoodie and make the donation. I share my salary today purely as a data point for others — women, people of color, even white men who don’t need help getting the top salary for a job. Take what I’m paid and negotiate something fair for yourself in your review this year with your employer. Ecommerce tech jobs are in high demand right now and I hope knowing what I’m paid helps you, the people who have not traditionally benefited in the past, get a salary on parity with everyone else doing the work.
Small Choice 2 — Don’t Buy The Hoodie, Do Fund the Kickstarter
I don’t need another hoodie, period. I’ll wear my favorite one until it frays … and even then my life will be fine. The work that The Black Wall Street Times is doing needs to be amplified though. So I’m buying one Kickstarter newspaper box today. And next month I’ll see how the campaign is going and if it needs my help I’ll by another. I’m not prescribing what anyone else should do with their money. All I know is that for those with income to spare, there are more than enough, easy to find opportunities where people like Nehemiah will put your money to work in a great way.
Small Choice 3 — Keep Doing the Work
Nothing I’ve done today adds up to even a grain of sand on the scale of things that need to be done to help change racist thought in America. It’s where my journey is unfolding. To keep asking how else I can help, what more I can learn. The ask is pretty clear from those with their sleeves rolled-up in the movements already … find a way to join us. Which is what I intend to do.
