This is the web version of raceAhead, Fortune’s daily newsletter on race, culture, and inclusive leadership. To get it delivered daily to your inbox, sign up here.
In a rapidly moving story, protests in Minneapolis have roiled the city, and the officer involved in the death of George Floyd has been arrested. A CNN film crew was arrested covering the protests. Don’t forget Breonna Taylor. Your community wants you to take care of you. Also: Will you help us change the world?
But first, here’s your week in review, in Haiku.
If I can smell the
smoke, but not see the fire,
I am the problem.
If only one way
to take a knee offends me,
I am the problem.
If I don’t praise your
name when you’re not in the room,
I am the problem.
If I don’t share your
cause when you are overrun,
I am the problem.
I am the problem.
And also the solution:
Together, we rise.
Take extra good care this weekend, if you can.
Ellen McGirt
@ellmcgirt
Ellen.McGirt@fortune.com
On point
More demonstrations in Minneapolis: A police station set fire, Trump tweets threat The city, devastated by the death of George Floyd while in police custody, has been roiled by protests. President Donald Trump, in a tweet that was later flagged by Twitter for “glorifying violence,” called the protesters “THUGS,” then threatened more intervention. “When the looting starts, the shooting starts,” he wrote. Protesters are demanding that the four officers involved in the death of Floyd, who was in restraints at the time, be arrested. Other protests are popping up around the country. Floyd’s death was documented by 17-year-old Darnella Frazier, who is reporting ongoing online harassment. As we pushed send on raceAhead, Derek Chauvin, the officer who killed Floyd was arrested.
Washington Post
George Floyd and former police officer Derek Chauvin worked security at the same nightclub It’s unknown if the two knew each other, but their shifts overlapped. "Chauvin was our off-duty police for almost the entirety of the 17 years that we were open," said Maya Santamaria, owner of the now-closed El Nuevo Rodeo club. "They were working together at the same time, it's just that Chauvin worked outside and the security guards were inside."
KSTP
CNN team arrested on-air in Minneapolis while covering ongoing protests over the death of George Floyd We know this is true because the arrests were broadcast live this morning at 5:10 a.m. Central Time. Minneapolis state police detained CNN correspondent Omar Jimenez, producer Bill Kirkos, and photojournalist Leonel Mendez; in a tense exchange, Jimenez explained the team were complying with police orders. "We were just getting out of your way when you were advancing through the intersection," he said as the team was surrounded by police. Jiminez continued to report until he was led away in restraints, the team were released shortly after 6 a.m; Minnesota Governor Tim Walz apologized to CNN Worldwide President Jeff Zucker for the arrests.
CNN
Breonna Taylor supporters protested in Louisville, Ky. overnight, 7 were shot The news has been overshadowed by the situation in Minneapolis. The shooters remain at large. There were “several hours of peaceful protest before some in the crowd turned violent,” said Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer in a statement. “No officers fired their weapons, and my thanks go to the police officers who, despite risk to themselves, got aid to those injured.”
WAVE 3 News
Submit your nominations for Fortune’s 2020 Change the World list Lord knows, the world needs changing. This list features companies from around the world that are doing well by doing good. They’re using the creative tools of business to help the planet, involve stakeholders, and tackle society’s unmet needs—and making money by doing so. More of that, please. Last year’s honorees are here. Programming note: While submissions to companies’ response to the coronavirus are welcome, this will not be a COVID-19 only list. Nominate your company or a company you admire below before June 22.
Change the World nomination form
The family business
- Creative maker and curly hair advocate Natalie Lauren Sims has created a five-minute self-care journaling and reflection exercise called "Just Breathe." It works. Hat-tip: raceAhead treasure Vivianne Castillo. Pick Vivianne’s brain on human-centered design, here.
- Tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern time, Liberate Meditation is hosting a convening of healing and meditation for the loss of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Ruth King, an elder meditation teacher in the mindfulness space, will be leading the group. BIPOC-only. Donation suggested. Register here.
- Damien Hooper-Campbell becomes Zoom’s first-ever chief diversity officer. It’s not the first time he’s established a diversity office from scratch, either. He’s a raceAhead real deal, more about him here.
- Yesterday, Steve Bucherati, former Global Chief Diversity Officer at the Coca-Cola Company and adviser to consultancy Kanarys, led a virtual learning lab on how he fostered a culture of fairness and inclusion at the beverage giant. You can find it (when it posts) and a number of other amazing past webinars here.
- Jesse Bridges, the SVP of diversity, equity, and inclusion at EverFi, is here to help you make the business case to any leaders who are resistant to prioritizing DEI efforts now. Excellent fodder.
- Jejuana C. Brown, who manages diversity programming and events for the Greater Cleveland Partnership Equity & Inclusion, announced a new webinar series called, "But What Does It All Mean?" that unpacks equity-focused research. Research here; register here.
On background
Who protects the truthtellers? While an outside investigation has cleared NBC’s America's Got Talent of the charges of racism leveled by former judge Gabrielle Union, not so fast says #MeToo founder, Tarana Burke. We need her now, more than ever. “Gabrielle Union is unique,” she begins in this essay for Variety. “She’s a person that is going to be physically uncomfortable not standing in her truth. It’s important to have people like that in your workplace and your life.” The truths they tell can change policy, Burke says. “[B]ut we don’t care for the material life of the truthteller. Who protects Gabrielle Union?”
Variety
Remembering the Hard Hat Riots This month marked the 50th anniversary of the Hard Hat Riots, an incident that I’m embarrassed to say I had not heard of before. On May 8, 1970, a group of construction workers stormed a student protest against the Vietnam War, and chased them through the streets of lower Manhattan, beating and kicking them. On April 29 of that year, President Richard Nixon ordered troops into Cambodia, which was seen as an alarming escalation of a deeply unpopular war. The day before the Hard Hat Riots, students protesting at Kent State University were fired upon, killing four, wounding nine, and inflaming the nation. The beatings of high school and college students, Black and Latinx working people, and bystanders, were brutal. Violence flared up for days. Peter J. Brennan, a senior construction trade union official, played a significant role in stoking tensions; on May 26th he was invited to the White House and gave Nixon a hard hat as a gift, he later became the labor secretary after Nixon’s re-election in 1972.
NYC Department of Records & Information Services
Opinion: More than 20 ways (and growing) for AAPIs to be allies to Black folks Michelle Kim, the co-founder and CEO of DEI consultancy Awaken, has put together an amazing guide for the Asian American community to consider finding ways to be in solidarity with Black people now, and she begins with a difficult truth. “There are deep historical wounds we need to heal that exist between Asians and Black people, and there are fresh wounds being created every day as we perpetuate anti-Blackness inside our communities," she says. It’s possible to acknowledge the unique pain experienced by many Asian Americans in the light of coronavirus-related bigotry and show up for others. She offers ways to demand justice for Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and others, but also encourages people to learn and reflect. “Unearth your internalized anti-Blackness and reflect on how they show up in your daily life,” she says. (Challenging the “model minority” myth is a good way to start.) Click through for a wide array of experts and advocates, too.
Awaken on Medium
Today's mood board
