I’ve written words and pressed delete about 25 times since I began working on this. What are the right words to say in the midst of global pain, turmoil, challenge, and grief?

Solidarity.

I keep returning to it. Because, whether you’re working remotely without human interaction or risking your life as an essential worker, you are braving endlessly through circumstances no one prepared any of us for. We are intrinsically linked in our mutual grief over what was and what might have been. 

In solidarity.

In moments of extreme challenge–I’m sure a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic qualifies as one–there is strength in knowing we don’t have to persevere alone. While I spent the first few months of quarantine shell-shocked and overwhelmed, I now find comfort in bite-sized routines. Texting loved ones near (by zip code) and far, just to check in with an “I’m thinking of you.” Thanking people I don’t know personally, but whose work I’ve long admired, like Kiley Reid, Dr. Tsedal Neeley, Ellen McGirt and, Naomi Ishisaka. 

In solidarity and with gratitude.

Black Lives Matter in Action

The tragic murder of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, among others, was a turning point in a centuries-old movement striving for justice for Black Lives degraded and lost. That there was global recognition of the extent of the issue was meaningful and long overdue. 

I was teaching (virtually) during the protests in Seattle and far too many students came to class broken by how they were tear-gassed by police while protesting peacefully. How did we get here?

The movement also forced me to confront my role as a non-Black DEI practitioner. I have spent time reflecting on how to stand in solidarity with Black experts, recognizing my privilege and working on using my influence to spotlight incredible, overlooked women of color.

As I interviewed women of color globally for my book (more later), it became clear that Black women have the most profoundly negative experiences in the workplace. Not only in the U.S.–anti-Blackness is painfully global.

I learnt how we make choices daily–micro-actions–that exclude Black people, particularly Black women. I have done it too. And often still do it unintentionally, when I don’t catch myself. The power of change is in small actions, intentionally. Inclusion on purpose.

Reflections guiding me this year

1. Do I have any close Black friends?

2. Does my child have Black friends? How does he "see" his own race and others'?

3. Does my neighborhood reflect the racial diversity of this country?

4. What positions do Black people and other people of color occupy at the organizations I align with or work for?

5. When have I last advocated for a Black woman in the workplace? This means: recommended her name for a top project, hired her, sponsored her, or ensured she’s paid equally, even for a speaking engagement?

For all the “nos” and "very fews" above, I now have a blueprint for action going forward. 

Dismantling racism, as Dr. Ibram X. Kendi reminds us, is not a state of being. It is a state of doing. What are you doing?

Inclusion on Purpose

My book, Inclusion on Purpose, will be published by MIT Press in Spring 2022. It centers the stories of women of color in the workplace and recommends personal and leadership actions to create more inclusive workplaces. 

Finding solidarity with the incredible women of color I interviewed throughout this year gave me the purpose to persevere in 2020. Women of color I spoke to had overcome tremendous hardship in their professional lives to lead and pave the way for the generations coming after them. I also was inspired by the leadership of those with privilege, who were working tirelessly to create a workplace that was diverse and inclusive for people who didn't look like them. 

It is easy to lose hope. Knowing that we don’t have to go it alone is the only way we can make it through the other side.

We will be forever changed by this year, but I am hopeful for the lessons we have learnt: where we can throw out old systems of oppression and exclusion and work towards a future where everyone is welcome.

Together. In solidarity.

Select Candour News from 2020

• Please join me for a free “Ask Me Anything” on December 16, 10 AM PT/ 1 PM EST. I don’t like to promote myself, but it was born out of an uptick in requests for 1:1 meetings by early-career professionals on how to find their footing in a variety of industries. Please feel free to pass on the message.

• Candour partnered with SeattleWorks to raise and disburse close to $20,000 to 75+ mothers of color impacted by the pandemic, across the country, with a one-time $250 grant, this year. Many of the women we served were undocumented, survivors of violence, abuse, and/or facing homelessness. Even after closing the grant in September 2020, it furthered our commitment to keep supporting ongoing and direct services for this demographic, including API Chaya and the YWCA. 

• Our incredible inaugural cohort of entrepreneurs in the EMERGE program by Softbank Investment Advisers “graduated” in the summer. Keep an eye out for these inspiring entrepreneurs who are solving big challenges such as using smell sensors to detect COVID-19, the college access gap and access to clean water.

• This year has revealed that leaders must connect with their “why” of prioritizing racial and gender equity in the workplace. I wrote about this for Harvard Business Review.

• I was invited to comment on Kamala Harris’ historic victory as the first Indian and Black woman VP of the United States, on the Crosscut podcast.

• I was interviewed by Bloomberg about the next steps for the companies that pledged to improve their diversity metrics. 

• I was a keynote presenter at a number of organizations this year including Amazon, Cisco Live, Ember by Qualtrics, Tableau, UW School of Medicine, UW CommLead and Symetra. Transitioning online was daunting initially but I learnt so much from it. 

• One of the most vulnerable articles I’ve ever written was on my role as a non-Black immigrant person of color––to undo anti-Blackness and white supremacy––for South Seattle Emerald. Reading and supporting Black-led media is a micro-action you can take that has monumental consequences.

Thank you for reading! I stand in solidarity with you.

Wishing you a safe, healthy and happy holidays and new year! Let’s work together to put into practice all that we have learnt this year, for a monumentally better 2021 and beyond.

Ruchika Tulshyan

Founder and CEO, Candour

Distinguished Professional-in-Residence, Seattle University