From “Calling in Black” to “Calling for Antiracism Resources”: the need for systemic resources to address systemic racism

• Published in: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal Vol. 40; no. 1; pp. 49 - 59
• Main Authors: McCluney, Courtney L, King, Danielle D, Bryant, Courtney M, Ali, Abdifatah A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Birmingham Emerald Publishing Limited 25.01.2021; Emerald Group Publishing Limited
• Subjects: Black Lives Matter movement; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Discomfort; Employees; Errors; Excessive force; Floyd, George; Organizational research; Organizational structure; Police brutality; Racism; Systemic racism; White supremacy; Workplaces; United States > US; Antiracism; Resources; Systemic racism; Black employees
• ISSN: 2040-7149; 2040-7157
• DOI: 10.1108/EDI-07-2020-0180

PurposeThe purpose of this essay is to highlight the urgent need for antiracism resource generation in organizations today.Design/methodology/approachThis essay weaves together popular press articles, academic writings and the authors' lived experiences to summarize, clarify and extend the work needed inside of organizations and academia to dismantle systemic racism.FindingsWe define antiracist resources as personal and material assets that counteract systemic racism through informing and equipping antiracist actions, and identify three resources—adopting a long-term view for learning the history of racism, embracing discomfort to acknowledge racist mistakes and systematically assess how organizational structures maintain white supremacy—for organizations to address systemic racism.Research limitations/implicationsWhile there is a critical need for more antiracism research, there are standards and guidelines that should be followed to conduct that research responsibly with antiracism enacted in research design, methodology decisions and publication practices.Practical implicationsThe authors call for organizations to directly counter-racism via antiracism resources and offer examples for how these resources can inform and equip companies to create equitable workplaces.Originality/valueThis essay offers: (a) an updated, timely perspective on effective responses to systemic racism (e.g. police brutality and COVID-19), (b) a detailed discussion of antiracism resources and (c) specific implications for antiracism work in organizational research.