• Posted on Jun 27, 2025

Lots of learning and introspection to be had this past week during a special conversation, “Leadership To Be Proud Of: Building Inclusive Workplaces” attended by small business owners and non-profit leaders.

I enjoyed meeting and learning from Kenya Hutton, MPH – President & CEO, Center for Black Equity on the evolving workforce, new leadership approaches, and how authentic leadership fosters loyalty, creativity, and high performance.

Moderator Albert P. DuPont, Ed.D. of Spaces of Pride (spacedofpride.com) asked some poignant questions that were refreshing to engage in.

My contribution to the conversation is…

As business owners and organizations, it’s one thing to say we are an ally and support LGBTQ+ staff and customers, it’s another to put that sentiment into practice.

We can start by evolving from allyship into being a co-conspirator. Where allyship tends to come from a place of privilege and comfort, co-conspiratorship is less about ‘helping’ and more about risk-taking and sharing the burden.

As a business owner or organization…
✅𝐻𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑃𝑟𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑀𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑐 𝑒𝑦𝑒?
✅𝐻𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑟𝑒𝑑𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑙𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑢𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢’𝑟𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑑?

This is the time to step up and not hide because the powers that be want to intimidate you into silence.

We know as Rev. Dr. MLK explained to us, that it’s the silent, complacent moderate “who preferred maintaining social order to addressing racial injustice, were a greater obstacle to progress than the open opposition of overt racists.”

So, when it comes to taking action, reflect on yourself and your organization. Ask if you’re making decisions based on what’s right or based on what you’re afraid of.

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