We continue our series by various Landed team members on Black Lives Matter with a guest post from a member of the team at our affiliate business, Landed Home Loans, which joins Landed in our mission to help essential professionals, starting with educators, build financial security near the communities they serve.
This month we celebrate what Latinx allyship looks like with the Black Community in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept 15 - Oct 15). Given this pivotal moment in our nation’s history, here are five commitments and their corresponding action items, that our Latinx identified staff are upholding themselves to — as co-signed by Landed Inc. teammates:
#1) Uplift and support Afro-Latinx communities
There are many structures in place that prevent black <> brown communities from authentically collaborating and supporting each other. For example, Democratic candidate for New York’s 15th Congressional District, Ritchie Torres recently published the following op-ed in the Washington Post: “I’m Afro-Latino, but I can’t join both the black and Hispanic caucuses in Congress. That must change.”
Action-item: Read the works of Afro-Latinx, Black and African American people to better understand their lived experiences. Monetarily support the work of Black authors, scholars, and other Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) leaders. Aside from supporting with our wallets, we can also spread the word by resharing/reposting their works on social networking platforms. Check out a short-list of varied mediums to choose from below:
- For academia or nonfiction: learn from Dr. Yomaira Figueroa, a personal friend and Associate Professor of Global Diaspora Studies at MSU who writes about Afro/Latinx/Indigenous solidarity in her upcoming new book (available here via Northwestern University Press)
- If fiction is your jam, don’t miss out on checking out the works of American-Dominican poet and author Elizabeth Acevedo
- Want more podcasts to add to your queue? Here are 5 Podcasts by Afro-Latinxs You Should Be Listening to
#2) Speak up
Silence is complicity. Black scholar Ibram X. Kendi describes the importance of speaking up in How to be an Antiracist:
“There is no neutrality in the racism struggle… one either allows racial inequities to preserve, as a racist, or confronts racial inequities, as an antiracist.”
Action-item: Commit to reading How to be an Antiracist with a friend or family member and hold space for a discussion about the book. You can purchase How to be an Antiracist directly from Kendi’s website here. Afterwards, you can “read it forward” and gift your copy of the book to a different recipient to encourage greater discussion.
#3) Be intentional
When it comes to written and oral communication, simply put, language matters. Let’s do our best to be specific and intentional. Consider how crucial it is to be clear when we are distinguishing between and/or addressing issues that impact Black people and non-Black people of color:
“Saying ‘POC’ [People Of Color] when we mean ‘Black people’ concedes that there’s a need to describe a marginalized group as ‘less’ Black for people to have empathy for an issue.” -Joshua Adams
Action-item: Read the full Medium post by Adams in its entirety, “Why We Need to Stop Saying ‘People of Color’ When We Mean ‘Black People’”.
#4) Be a leader, demand better
From educational institutions to corporate board rooms, leaders across the nation are demanding better equality practices. If you are familiar with (or have heard) of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) frameworks, this is a model that integrates the three P’s: people, profit, & planet to create value/return not just for legal shareholders, but also for society at-large. While more and more for-profit entities have embedded CSR frameworks over the last decade, this HBR article highlights that “we’re [now] entering the age of corporate social justice.”
Action-item: When participating in a professional panel (either as a speaker or an attendee) take a keen look at who is being highlighted. Oftentimes, in tech, orgs depend on APIDA voices as a means of increasing diversity. However, it's important to note the varying privileges that exist amongst non-black POC (including amongst those who self-identify as Latinx). If and when you come across a panel that’s missing a Black voice, this is a chance to be a leader. Speak up. Demand better. Ask the event organizers why Black industry voices are missing from the discussion/panel.
#5) Commit
Commit to having conversations with other Latinx-identifying community members. We are responsible for calling in our immediate and extended circles. Be bold enough to have courageous conversations as it relates to race and supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. It is important to note that non-Black Latinx-identifying individuals can and do benefit from white (or light) skin privilege. If we are holding our white allies, colleagues, and family members accountable for calling in their peers and loved ones, we can ourselves accountable to a similar standard as well.
Action-item: Make it a part of your routine to do the above. “One-offs” are not enough. James Clear, a white author that’s well known for his practical book Atomic Habits, illuminates that “breakthrough moments are often the result of many previous actions, which build up the potential required to unleash a major change.” How can we expect our Latinx community to have breakthrough moments that inch us closer to true and authentic solidarity with the Black community, if we do not consistently commit to putting in the work?
As professionals in fintech that are committed to breaking down institutional barriers to housing — now is the time to boldly stand in solidarity with Black lives.
En solidaridad,
Kay C., Landed Home Loans
Nick A., Landed Inc.
Martin B., Landed Inc.
Vero G., Landed Inc.
