Remembering Tulsa

Those who don't know history...

I grew up not knowing anything about the Tulsa massacre, but today is the 100th anniversary of an atrocity.

As leaders, we need to base our decision-making in reality. If you hear about something happening on your watch, actively seek out information to get the whole story. Don’t procrastinate and hope it will just go away. Don’t bury your head in the sand. We need to use our positions and our authority to make things safe and fair for all of the people who work with us and for us.

I hope you will not ever be in a mass-casualty situation, but perhaps you can take a few minutes today to make sure that no one on your team is dealing with sexual harassment, racist aggressions (or micro-aggressions), or other forms of mistreatment. Perhaps you can reflect on your personal expectations for a safe and fair workplace, and then use this somber anniversary to communicate those expectations to your team.

When we ignore cruelty, bigotry, and mistreatment, it doesn’t stop. It can escalate. It’s not enough to not participate in bad behavior; as leaders, we need to actively work to stop it. And let’s make the world we WANT to live in, by doing what we can to acknowledge the things we NEVER want to have happen again.

(Photo: https://www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties/tulsa-race-massacre#section_4)