Known Unknowns | Shereen Daniels
KNOWN UNKNOWNS IS A SERIES THAT PROFILES MOVERS AND SHAKERS MAKING A DIFFERENCE
TO DRIVE BETTER, MORE SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS PRACTICES.
Meet Shereen Daniels - Managing Director of anti-racism advisory firm, HR Rewired.
An advocate for racial equalityin business, Shereen is a proactive champion for Black colleagues in the workplace. She is the host of 'Advancing Racial Equity 4.0' (the podcast), the Founder of Advancing Racial Equity: Moving Beyond The Conversations (the conference) and via HR rewired TV, a vlogger to the tune of over 200+ videos and 30+ live broadcasts giving advice and insights about the Black experience and what leaders and individuals can do differently to affect change. Most recently, Shereen added author to her repertoire, publishing her first book titled “The Anti–Racist Organization: Dismantling Systemic Racism in the Workplace.”
What does HR Rewired do?
The purpose of HR rewired is to partner with organisations that genuinely want to make a step change in how they tackle anti-racism, and more importantly, how they advance racial equity. Anti-racism is where leadership really looks to understand how racism shows up within their organisation and then puts steps in place to do as much as they can to dismantle those structures. Racial equity is where leadership recognises that equity means giving their people what they need to overcome some of the structural barriers that are in place.
What is a typical turning point for clients whereby they turn to you for support?
Initially, it was Black Lives Matter and the murder of George Floyd. The moment became a movement; it unlocked in people's consciousness the realisation that the world is not fair and society isn't constructed in the way they thought it was. You have black people and other racialized minority colleagues sharing their stories; public sentiment asking companies and brands what they are doing about this and institutional shareholders recognising the risk to their company, because it means they might not be relevant in a few years time. All of these pressure points are working together as a catalyst for change. if you've got black colleagues, and you want to keep them, you've got to lean into this. If you don't have black colleagues, and you want to hire, you've got to lean into this. If you have people inside and outside your organisation who consciously care about a positive contribution to society, which transcends skin colour or ethnicity, you've got to do things differently.
Working in this space must be very triggering. How do you put aside your own internal biases to focus on the work at hand?
I unplug from social media and I don’t watch the news. This not only helps me recharge, but it also reconnects me with the reason why I do this work, which is still not mainstream. I want to talk about racism and black people and not many people want to engage with these subjects so it can come with a lot of negativity and backlash. At the end of the day, I do this for my black colleagues, not for companies. This means finding ways to compartmentalise and have seemingly unimportant rituals that help me sleep. Then I can get up and I can go again the next day.
What are some misconceptions you've come across regarding race and anti-racism work?
A big misconception is that by increasing your company’s representation, you somehow eliminate racism. I have companies that believe just because they have hired 30 black people or have sponsored kids from a certain community - they are doing their part. Anti-racism work is not a tick-box exercise. Another misconception I come across is that the push for black liberation and black power is about eradicating white people. This is because we are tapping into white fragility, which is the notion that one is under attack. It is therefore seen as every time you talk about racism, it's divisive and anti-white - which couldn't be further from the truth. In my experience, the more public and vocal you are, the more threatening or ‘aggressive’ you can be perceived as. This is sadly the consequence of the system we all live under - a system that silences people.
You have a large audience and a far reach but you didn’t get to this point overnight. What have you done consistently to achieve your successes?
It has been a process. I've been in HR collectively for almost 20 years now and those years have been about learning and acquiring knowledge. Then, when George Ford and Briona Taylor were murdered, I had to learn more about myself and reflect on my experience within the corporate world - many of which were not positive experiences. This also meant going back to my sense of self and understanding more about my purpose. Back when I was going from one corporate job to another, my goal was to achieve success in the way that society told me I had to be successful (job title, branded company). It wasn’t until I stripped all of that away, and found myself in a place where it was just me - a mom of two kids, recording videos in my house talking about something I felt really strongly about - that I then found my voice.
What advice would you give to those looking to work within the racial equity and anti racism space?
You need to make a conscious decision to step into anti-racism work because you truly believe in it, not because you're angry with the world or you want to ease any sense of guilt. You’ve also got to be able to ground it in some form of expertise as well as self-awareness. You need to have done inner work to understand what your relationship with racism is, how you've been conditioned because of your ethnicity, your gender, you know, your religion, and understand how that has shaped and informed your views of the world. Part of this means identifying your biases and your triggers before helping others identify theirs. It is a job that takes humility. You have to want to do this work because you genuinely care. As soon as you decide this work is not for you, it is okay to step away and do something else. This does not make you a failure.
4 key takeaway from our interview with Shereen:
Anti-racism work takes ongoing, critical self-reflection and inner work
Anti-racism work is not a tick-box exercise and requires buy in from senior leadership in order to be successful
Working in the racial equity space is not for everyone - this does not make you a failure
Anti-racism is not anti-white - this is a big misconception that continues to be a barrier to resolution