So I have been trying to figure out how to address something that has been bugging me all week. Something feels not aligned to me.
The Mets put out a diversity statement as did many teams and brands this week.
I was curious, so I googled the people in their front office. You can click that link, do your own research, and determine for yourself if you feel there is diversity in that list.
I keep looking at the players they choose to use in their stager images this week. (above). It’s not the most diverse group of players that the Mets could represent.
I struggled to express the feeling that keeps going through my brain. Then I saw this from Conan O’Brien speaking with W. Kamau Bell, and I think Bell’s words here are what I had been struggling to address.
O’Brien shared that he is concerned that in weeks, or even a year, from now, current actions won’t be followed up on. Bell responded by suggesting that O’Brien connect his life to the actual movement by telling black Americans that he will “do a complete internal audit” of his show and “ask TBS to do the same thing.”
“Of where the black folks work at TBS. Where the people of color work. And not give me the percentage of the total but what level they are at. How many people at the top level. How many people are at the lowest levels of TBS and my show,” Bell told O’Brien. Bell then suggested that the late night host vow that in one year it will look different.
Bell told O’Brien, “Right now, we need white people to show their work.”
A lot of white people, it’s easy to change your Twitter avi to a black background, or to Black Lives Matter, but eventually you’re going to turn it back to that wacky picture. We need white people to not only do the work, but show their work, because we can’t trust that the work will get done,” said Bell. (via Yahoo)
So Mets, yes, let’s be part of that positive change. Let’s come back in a year and take a look at this page and see if anything changed.
