Posted on January 14, 2018

You know this bridge, even if you haven’t driven or walked it. Even if you haven’t needed to cross the Alabama River to get from Selma to Montgomery. This bridge, as you well know, was the site of ‘Bloody Sunday’ — the attack by armed police on unarmed civil rights movement marchers on March 7, 1965. A march in which Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and current Representative John Lewis participated, attempting to win the right of African Americans in Alabama to vote. In the melee, the police beat Lewis nearly to death.

What you may not know is that the bridge is named for Judge Edmund Winston Pettus, a Confederate brigadier general and leader of the Army of Tennessee during the Civil War. A strong supporter of slavery, Pettus was named the Grand Dragon of the Alabama Ku Klux Klan in 1877. At the age of 75 he ran for the U.S. Senate as a Democrat, riding his personal involvement in the growth and expansion of the Alabama Klan as well as his vociferous opposition to constitutional amendments designed to elevate former slaves to the status of free citizens. He was elected in 1887 and reelected in 1903.

The bridge named in his honor became a National Historic Landmark on March 11, 2013. We can only wonder what Pettus would have thought of the reason for its designation as a national landmark, or how he might have viewed the gains made by the civil rights movement, or the two-term presidency of an African American, or the Black Lives Matter movement, or how he might have reacted to selected countries, populated predominantly by people of color, being deemed ‘shitholes.’

Whenever we think we’ve made great progress since the days of the Klan and white supremacy, we are reminded that we have so very far to go.

On this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, two questions emerge. First: What was the reaction and response, if any, of those in the Oval Office last week when ‘shithole’ was used to describe, among others, Africa, Haiti and El Salvador? Did any of the 7 senators in attendance say anything in the moment? Was there even one ‘Excuse me?’ or ‘I beg your pardon?’ or ‘That’s inappropriate, Sir.’ or ‘I find that offensive, Mr. President.’?

I’d put my money on ‘Not a chance.’ Even though senators, by definition, do not report to the president, it’s likely that those in the room treated him with deference, like The Boss, and said nothing. If so, how disappointing. Not surprisingly, two of the senators reported publicly that they ‘didn’t even recall’ the word being used. All the more reason to bet on silence.

Only one Republican senator seems to have a spine in these troubled, contentious times. Johnny Isakson, Republican senator from Georgia, said that the president “owes the people of Haiti and all of mankind an apology.” Other than that, the silence from most in Congress has been deafening.

The second question is one closer to home and far more personal: If a blatantly racist or sexist remark was made at work, how might people within earshot respond? More personally, how would you respond? Even if it were your boss who said it? With the same silence and docility as those senators in the Oval Office? Our research on sexism and sexual harassment in the workplace predicts, sadly, that the vast majority of those witnessing such a comment would look the other way rather than confront the speaker. Which may be exactly what the speaker expects. And why racist and especially sexist remarks persist. Critically, saying nothing translates into approval. It works like this:

No confrontation => no resistance => tacit agreement => approval

Said plainly, electing to avoid calling out someone on a racist or sexist comment is a sign of approval, regardless of your beliefs. Beware: your inaction defines you.

Our research indicates that the propensity to avoid confrontation is defined in large part by an organization’s culture. A healthy corporate culture is one in which values drive behavior — values that promote honesty, collaboration, compassion, innovation and, importantly, respect. Racism and sexism don’t fit and are not tolerated. Building such a culture is essential to the long-term success of any organization that employs humans. Interestingly, the process of creating a healthy, vibrant culture has been shown to provide significant, measurable gains to an organization. Said another way, the journey is as important as the destination. We at The Schnur Group know this, because we’ve led and measured transformation efforts firsthand many times. And, lucky for you, building such a values-driven culture, one that produces measurable business improvement, one that is based on mutual respect, is our sweet spot. And our passion.

On this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, remember those resolute marchers in 1965 beaten by armed police in an attempt to get the right to vote. They, and all people of color, deserve our respect and a willingness to stand together at work and at home to support and defend their rights and their honor. Out loud, with conviction.