Dear White Colleagues

From the 6/26/2020 newsletter



Dear White Colleagues


Ashley M. Hines - MCW Diversity and Inclusion Manager

Ms. Hines shares her candid thoughts on being a wife, mother, full-time work-from-home MCW staff member during the COVID-19 pandemic and a Black woman amid the unending pandemic of racism ...

As a wife, mother, full-time work-from-home staff member during the COVID-19 pandemic and a Black woman amid the unending pandemic of racism, I’ve avoided facing my deep pain, hurt, confusion, anger and sadness because I must keep it all together. In this letter, I pause and candidly share my thoughts on our current time. I am not and will never speak for all Black people. I encourage you to read and to listen to the many stories of the Black experience.

Police brutality and other forms of systemic racism and structured inequity are being recognized and spoken  about in ways I’ve never experienced – magnifying the brokenness of our country. A country built, with intention, on racism and a 401-year-old system of oppression. Unfortunately, the system is working as it was intended. Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd are among the countless individuals who have lost their lives because this country was built by us and on us, not built for us. Their stories amplify the destructive nature of pervasive injustice. We aren’t talking about statistics; these are lives.

Many of my white colleagues have asked what they can do to support me. Here are some of my thoughts. Again, I cannot speak for all Black people. 

See me. Presenting evidence that racism exists is exhausting and painful. Please don’t discredit my personal experiences. Also, the impact of slavery is still felt today and is not far removed from many Black families. I’d argue that slavery has evolved – exposed by the disproportionate number of Black and brown people in our criminal system…but that’s an entirely different conversation.


This is complex, uncomfortable work. If there was an easy solution to racism and the systemic racism it produces, the work would be done. Inside MCW, a focus on pursuing learning and increased awareness, interrogating our practices, policies and procedures at all levels and transforming our system with bold changes is essential. Outside of MCW, protesting, voting and changes across all sectors must happen. You will be nervous; you won’t always say the right thing and you will make mistakes. Move forward in humility and don’t allow guilt to stop you. Plug in where you can and keep going! 

This is a marathon, not a sprint. I understand that a system that has thrived for centuries will not change overnight. As the saying goes, “slow down to go faster.”


It’s not enough to not be a racist. We must be anti-racist. A Black woman recently posed a question to white folks, “What are you doing to make sure your children don’t kill mine?” This is not the time to play it safe. Please don’t be silent. People’s lives depend on your commitment, voice and thoughtful use of your unearned privileges.


Be in it with us. Acknowledge we are grieving, processing and healing. Hold space for us to share and be patient and understanding if we can’t do this every day.


Racism isn’t new to me. In fact, like many people who identify as African American and Black in the United States, it’s an inescapable reality. I recognize some people haven’t had to think about racism at all and do not know the fear (or have not experienced the fear) elicited by its deadly impact. The “You took my spot!” comment hurt me for a long time. I carried it with me and struggled with impostor syndrome and non-belongingness. For me, implicit in her comment was a belief that she deserved something she had not earned – simply because she is white. The sting of her comment drove me to work harder to prove my value to white people…to prove I deserved to be there and to prove I deserve to be here. But such continued comments and the deaths of unarmed Black people tell me that I can never prove myself sufficiently to overcome the biases and inequities built into a racist social system. Black Lives Matters is about Black people owning our inherent worth in a system that tells us differently.


I’m writing this letter on June 19. Today we celebrate Juneteenth and recognize the last group of African Americans freed after the Civil War. This is Independence Day for African Americans and Blacks. Yet, we aren’t free from the disparaging and multigenerational impacts of racism and slavery. Still, we celebrate because we are a resilient and empowered people. So yes, I am hurt, confused, angry and sad. And yet, most days, hopeful. I am grateful to work at MCW and heartened by our commitment to be an anti-racist organization. The work needed to undo the legacy of racism is difficult and I believe it will get done. It must get done.





Ashley Hines is Diversity and Inclusion Manager in the MCW Office of Diversity
and Inclusion.