You have the right to safety. You have the right to personhood. You deserve to feel safe and protected at work, on the streets, in your home.
It’s taken me a while to marshal my thoughts around the needless death of George Floyd, coming as it did right with the harassment of Christian Cooper and the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, both of whom were simply enjoying time outdoors. And that’s only in the past few weeks. Let us not forget Yvette Smith, who opened her door to the police; Jordan Baker, who was killed because he seemed to match the description of a suspect in a crime; Jonathan Ferrell who sought help after he crashed his car; Reynaldo Cuevas, who was fleeing the gunmen robbing the bodega he worked in; 7-year-old Aiyana Jones, killed when the police raided her apartment; Alberta Spruill, who suffered a heart attack when police threw a concussion grenade into her home. These are just a few examples, but there are more heartbreaking lists each year, and most of those ignore the women who have been killed.
So why is a career counselor talking about this? Mostly just to say that we all deserve to be safe, to have our rights and dignity without a fight, to do the work we want to do. I obviously get involved in this process with my clients on the career side of things, but we are multi-faceted, and most of us can’t put work into a tidy box that stands alone. So please take care of yourself and your colleagues. Listen to people who are in pain. (No, they didn’t misunderstand that that other person meant, and yes, that really happened.) Be fragile when you need to be. If you’re struggling to maintain a professional face, reach out to a supportive friend, and if possible, take some time away from work. Stand up for what’s right when you are able. Honor what people tell you about their experiences. And if you’re white, please take time to check in on your Black and brown friends and coworkers, because chances are that they’re really not okay.
When the Pulse nightclub shooting happened, I was working at a public university, and my LGBTQI+ friends were absolutely crushed that people weren’t talking about it. These things are never just a Black thing or a gay thing. These things diminish us all, and eat away at the fabric of everything. Please don’t be silent now. We are all entitled to safety, humanity, and dignity—at work and everywhere else.
