BLACK ATTORNEY WHOSE FATHER WAS KILLED BY POLICE, TACKLES RACE IN THE WORKPLACE

Dynamic new company, Black Belonging Matters and its job portal, Black Lives Matter Jobs, helps job seekers find employers that unreservedly support racial equity and the Black Lives Matter movement.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New York, NY, November 19, 2020: Black Belonging Matters delivers top tier, full-scale, employment services, as well as a job portal, aptly named, Black Lives Matter Jobs. The company is designed to create a sense of belonging for Black employees, and, to help organizations, heal, build, and grow. 100% Black-owned, and led by a team of Black women – an attorney, a psychologist, and a 20-year global Diversity & Inclusion executive, their expertise puts them in a class of their own.

“My father was killed by the police.” Says A. Laine, the company’s founder, an attorney from New York. “Because of this, I’m always profoundly affected by news of police killings. Although I’ve never purposely watched the video of George Floyd’s killing, I couldn’t escape seeing it. Its raw cruelty gutted me.  But, as in most workplaces, even the most collegial ones, I had to keep going to work while navigating communication so as to avoid even mentioning his killing, simply because he was Black.  In no other instance is this expected of employees.  Workplaces generally find it acceptable to recognize human suffering in every instance, other than Black killings.  The isolation that I felt at work during that time led me to create Black Belonging Matters.” Ms. Laine continued.

“I knew I wasn’t the only Black person who felt alone at work,” Ms. Laine continued. “We have felt alone for a very long time.”   She was correct.  Among Black employees:

• 58% say they have experienced racism at work,
• 40% feel like outsiders at work, and
• 35% “say they need to compromise their authenticity” to conform to their company’s standards”

Every day in America, employers silently ask Black people to leave their “blackness” outside of the workplace. Black people show up to work in their Black skin, but can’t be their authentic Black selves. For too many Black people, going to work is draining and emotionally heavy.

“The days after George Floyd’s killing magnified that heaviness. Most Black people didn’t personally know Mr. Floyd, but his death affected us personally. We saw in him our sons, husbands, brothers, fathers, and all of our male loved ones. George Floyd may as well have been family. And yet, we were tasked to continue going to work without any employer acknowledgment of our loss, of our pain.” Ms. Laine notes.  “It showed a lack of empathy, and a lack of recognition of our humanity,” she continued.

Black Belonging Matters aims to change how workplaces handle the issue of race. Traditionally, discussions of race have been avoided in the workplace, as it was seen as divisive.  Now, experts agree that open dialogue about race actually promotes workplace harmony and a sense of belonging for all employees. 

Black Belonging Matters offers services that help organizations foster such open discussions about race and inequality.  Their  Diversity & Inclusion services are led by a 20-year global  D&I executive. Black unconscious bias training and racial/cultural sensitivity trainings are led by a psychologist whose research focuses on cultural competence and race. A race and cultural liaison service, and their job portal round out their comprehensive suite of offerings.

Job seekers are encouraged to register for free at www.BlackBelongingMatters.com. Employers can post diversity jobs for free, for a limited time, and can learn more via the contact information below.  All services are competitively priced.

To learn more about A. Laine or Black Belonging Matters, or to schedule an interview with A. Laine, please call 646-389-3244, or email Belonging@BlackLivesMatterJobs.com. You can also check out the Black Belonging Matters website at www.BlackBelongingMatters.com

Media Contact

A. Laine
646-389-3244
Belonging@BlackLivesMatterJobs.com