The unjust and inhumane treatment of Black people must end now.
We stand in solidarity with our Black and Brown team members.
We stand in solidarity with our clients, who are working to dismantle systemic racism and inequity.
We stand in solidarity with our belief in a better world.
Black Lives Matter!
Words in a newsletter or social media post feel utterly inadequate right now. But we know that silence is not an option. We know that it’s not enough to be against racism, and that we must — all of us — be actively and relentlessly anti-racist.
We are more committed than ever to our ongoing journey toward racial equity at Koya, and to applying our learnings and values to the practice of executive search, with a broader mission of placing diverse leaders in mission-driven organizations.
As search consultants, we stand ready to support our clients in their racial equity work. We will also continue our own internal work to be anti-racist, including understanding the role that those of us who were born with the protection of white privilege must play in tearing down systems of racism once and for all.
A big piece of this work is educating ourselves and those around us through reading, discussion, and self-reflection. To that end, we thought we’d share some of the articles and books that have influenced us at Koya below.
In addition to educating ourselves, we believe there are things we can do right now, today, to recognize and acknowledge the pain that our Black colleagues, friends, and neighbors are experiencing. These articles offer a range of useful suggestions that you can put into action today.
- How to Manage When Things Are Not Okay And Haven’t Been for Centuries, by The Management Center
- Your Black Colleagues May Look Like They’re Okay — Chances Are They’re Not, by Danielle Cadet for Refinery29
- U.S. Businesses Must Take Meaningful Action Against Racism, by Laura Morgan Roberts and Ella F. Washington for Harvard Business Review
- How To Be A Better Ally For Your Black Co-Workers, by Courtney Connley for CNBC
- 11 Things To Do Besides Say ‘This Has To Stop’ In The Wake Of Police Brutality, by Brittany Wong for HuffPost
Additional Resources
There are many reading lists circulating, as well as lists of Black-owned bookstores that you can support. The list below captures just a few of the articles and books that the Koya team has found useful. We look forward to hearing what has influenced you on our social media channels: LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter.
- How To Make This Moment The Turning Point For Real Change, by Barack Obama on Medium
- The Case For Reparations, by Ta-Nehisi Coates for The Atlantic
- How to be an Anti-Racist, by Ibram X. Kendi (see Kendi’s own reading list here)
- Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race, by Renni Eddo-Lodge
- White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard For White People To Talk About Racism, by Robin DiAngelo
- So You Want to Talk About Race, by Ijeoma Oluo
- The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration In The Age of Color Blindness, by Michelle Alexander
- Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, by Bryan Stevenson (Read the book)
- Me And White Supremacy, by Layla F. Saad
- White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide, by Carol Anderson
- 1619 Podcast, by the New York Times
