How organizations can support and have conversations about Black Lives Matter

When Trayvon Martin was killed in 2012, few organizations spoke up. Business went on as usual.

“It was very distressing,” says executive coach and diversity champion LaTonya Wilkins. “I had to go to work and not talk about it.”

Today, in the wake of George Floyd’s death, organizations across the country are voicing their support for the Black Lives Matter movement and the fight for racial justice. But to achieve actual progress, they’ll need to continue a path of change that isn’t always easy.

Wilkins shared the following model that can be helpful in enacting those changes in the workplace and beyond.

The model is aligned with stages of grief, Wilkins explains, and maps out our response to traumatic events like the murder of George Floyd. Individuals and organizations all expressed shock, disbelief and anger as the terrible news unfolded, but that was only the first step in the change process.

The next stage—depression—is what Wilkins calls “the pit” and is a critical area of the curve.