Solutions to Structural Racism: One Organization’s Community-Engaged Approach in the Aftermath of Civil Unrest by Branden A. McLeod, Jasmine Gilmore, and Joseph T. Jones, Jr.
In this essay, McLeod et al, observed and shared some strategies for combating structural racism in the Baltimore community. These strategies developed in response to the murder of Freddie Gray in Baltimore in 2015 and after much civil unrest in the community. Cultural humility, increase community engagement, economic opportunity, education and jobs, and changes in attitude have been identified as ways to address the hostility police and policing agencies have around black and brown poor people.
Heritage Werks considers itself a luxury brand and a resource for fortune 50o companies and wealthy families, however, as it has been addressed in this e-portfolio, these entities are not the only memories and legacies that deserve to be preserved. Changes in how we approach and relate to people can also help to offset the negative attitudes privileged classes have towards the underresourced and unfortunate poor. I believe Heritage Werks can be a pioneer in establishing ways we can preserve community memory in deep relation with the preservation of profit-producing companies.
When I discussed, this possibility with my peers a few questions and concerns arose. One question was how will I implement a conversation between Heritage Werks and groups of underfunded peoples as an employee of Heritage Werks without jeopardizing my job, my position, or my responsibilities. By exposing my interest I may also position myself as a threat to the profitability of the company.
Community Engagement, Cultural Competence and Two Australian Public Libraries and Indigenous Communities by Fiona Blackburn
Fiona Blackburn's use of Sung and Hepworth's 2013 community engagement model; Overall's 2009 definition of cultural competence; and Wilson's practitioner-research(er) role provides a basis for building a healthy and sustainability with communities that are culturally different. According to these concepts, my position as part of the community in the need of the service could be considered an asset to the company. To have someone who straddles the line of corporate, academic, and community archives, Heritage Werks can gave valuable inside on the needs of the community and make contact with community workers who can put donations and resources to good use. As a practitioner-researcher and stakeholder on employees training and development, I am also particularly sensitive to the challenges that make it difficult for staff to acquire the resources they need or to advocate for their needs. I believe these two things are related. While we have archival staff at Heritage Werks, we also have the same issue of lack of education as being a factor in one's inability to progress at the company.
As I began to understand these issues as not separate, but the same, I was further challenged by a colleague to figure out a way to draw these parallels before the executive leadership. While I see it very clearly, I also understand that my position allows me to understand the company's values from a different perspective. Perhaps there are other areas the company is willing to develop that do not have the same limitations as this particular trajectory.
References:
McLeod, B. A., Gilmore, J., and Jones Jr., J. T. (2017). Solutions to Structural Racism: One Organization’s Community-Engaged Approach in the Aftermath of Civil Unrest (Commentary). Social Work, 62(1): January 2017, 77-79.
Blackburn, F. (2017). Community Engagement, Cultural Competence and Two Australian Public Libraries and Indigenous Communities. IFLA Journal, 43(3), 288-301.