Big changes come from small steps and mistakes

In a recent interview with Workshop, Amrita Aggarwal of Bakau Consulting outlines some of the steps small businesses can take, and the pitfalls they face, in transforming their companies into ethical, anti-racist organizations. Pointing out that businesses which don't actively cultivate diversity risk failure because they do not reflect the communities they serve, and that will be noticed.

"It is a collective responsibility for us to give back and make sure we do better for the communities we’re serving." -Amrita Aggarwal

Aggarwal offers a number of ways small businesses can integrate anti-racist practices into their regular operations--from re-evaluating the company's mission and purpose, to changing some of the company messaging on social media, or making a donation to indigenous communities whose land they are on.

But most importantly, she encourages business owners not to stop with the creation of a diversity statement, but to follow through with real, substantive action. She also advises not to let the fear of making a mistake hamper real action. We learn from mistakes, they are signs that we are committed to change:

"The thing is, you are going to make mistakes. And that is okay. What is more important is the accountability that you take after you’ve made that mistake. Maybe, now that you evaluate your business, you find that this thing you did might have been racist. The first step is awareness and an acknowledgment that something has happened. Then you go and be accountable: what are some reparations that you can make for the harm that has been caused?" -Amrita Aggarwal

At the end of the interview Aggarwal offers an exceptionally thorough resource kit used by Bakau Consulting for helping businesses to strategize their diversity and inclusion goals which not only includes a collection of links and resources they find useful, but also specific strategies on topics such as "Inclusive Language," "Interrupting Unconscious Bias," and "LGBTQIA2S Inclusion."