Last month I attended a useful workshop about calling in vs. calling out when confronting racism. I actually got to use the tools after I attended a webinar about increasing age diversity in the workplace. The content of the webinar was great and I came away with ideas I can implement in my counseling practice. The problem: Every panelist was white.
I want this organization and the campaign to be successful. I believe in their mission, so I wanted them to understand that as a person of color, I noticed the absence of people of color. In this case there are two ways I might address this.
Calling out is bringing public attention to an individual, group, or organization’s harmful words or behavior.
Calling in is an invitation to a one-on-one or small group conversation to bring attention to an individual or group’s harmful words or behavior, including bias, prejudice, microaggressions, and discrimination.
I chose calling in. In this case, I simply sent an email to the organization to thank them for the webinar and politely asked if they could include people of color next time. I didn’t feel the need to have a long conversation about it or tell them how I was harmed. I have faith that they will be mindful of this next time. In fact, they promptly wrote back and acknowledged the oversight. They promised to change their behavior.
I did not choose calling out because this is the first time I had an adverse experience with this organization. I don’t think it was done on purpose and I believe they will take steps to correct it. I also learned that calling out can be a form of shaming and it doesn’t always motivate people to change their behavior. I didn’t need to pathologize anyone’s behavior, question anyone’s motives or engage in name-calling. I believe that calling out is a last resort for people who repeatedly cause harm.
Before I took that workshop about calling in, I might not have contacted that organization. However, in order to call myself an equity-minded counselor, I have to act like one. If I want to promote inclusion and belonging, I have to recognize, name, and address when individuals or groups with marginalized identities are experiencing harm, such as bias or discrimination. I can do it in a quiet, compassionate way. That is the type of conversation I would like to have when I make mistakes.
To learn more about calling in, check out interviews and podcasts featuring Loretta J. Ross.
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