Black Lives Matter – What I’m Doing

June 01, 2020
Benjamin Orbach

There is a lot on social about silence equaling complicity. Let’s be frank — most people aren’t waiting for my next tweet. With that in mind, what can professionals in the privileged middle class like me do to: 1) express that Black Lives Matter and 2) advance equality for all?

My ideas:

Professionally: I’m offering to work pro-bono with any professional #athletes committed to registering voters and turning out the vote in PA, MI, WI, NC, FL, or AZ.

Culturally: For each of the boards I’m a part of, I’ll raise the question of how we can better support #racialequality with our mission and programs — this should be integrated into everything, regardless of the organization.

Personally: I’ll volunteer to support students from black and brown communities to develop professional and soft skills and offer mentoring and network help where needed.

This stuff isn’t going to make headlines, but it will contribute to leadership change; improved accountability within the “system;” and new opportunities for individuals.

I always felt like America had problems but we were headed in the right direction, just slowly. These four years have been a lurch backwards without a bottom. If we continue on as usual, the damage will be too much to repair.

So, that’s what I’m doing. What about you?