I did not see that coming. Before I knew it I was sobbing, sometimes uncontrollably, for the next two hours.
I had sat down to watch the March for Our Lives on TV, not expecting to watch for more than a short while, not prepared to see or experience anything new, not willing to have what I saw sway me one way or another.
Yet within minutes, I was weeping from unmitigated delight.
It was like the collapse of an imaginary dike that had previously held back powerful, conflicting emotions — accumulated despair, born of a fractured nation at risk of losing its soul; along with a opposing belief that we can change. Irrepressible tears erupted from a new surge of hope.
My reaction told me I had prepared to be disappointed, maybe even expected to be. Perhaps I was even dreading to see another display of America simultaneously at its best and worst. Best, in rallying together to honor the fallen, give meaning to their lives and advance a call to action. Worst, in reminding us of who is worthy of honor and who is not, whose lives should have meaning and whose should not, and what causes deserve to be celebrated and shared with the world.
What I saw was only the best.
I saw a multicultural display of youth merging on a world stage in common cause, because each knew the others belonged there.
My reaction also told me that I had just observed a powerful narrative shift that thrilled me. A new ripple launched by America’s youth — supported by their parents, families, friends and allies — that will join others to carry a powerful, blended message: #EnoughisEnough, #MeToo, #NeverAgain, #BlackLivesMatter, and more.
I saw a moment of Radical Inclusion. A culture-shifting moment of authentic, urgent and shared belonging.
A moment, a movement.
So often we see a struggle for control played out in our social, political and economic lives that divides us as if we are constantly engaged in a zero-sum game where my gain is your loss. We see this tug-of-war going on constantly throughout our history, punctuated by defining moments when what is right or just or fair squarely confronts the prevailing status quo. There is a stake in the ground; a demarcation of a point of no return. A moment becomes a movement.
I believe I saw the marchers place a stake in the ground. The new, still-unfolding movement draws us closer to a culture of belonging, in which we all gain by recognizing we are all worthy, and we are in this together.
And yes, that is one of the shining principles of the American Constitution; the manifestation of our most ideal way of life.
Belonging is a big deal.
Belonging is beyond the reach of law or mandates, yet is at the core of all of our social, political and economic issues. It is the outward manifestation of who we respect, and find worthy; with whom we are prepared to share privilege, for whom we will create opportunities, to whom we will cede control — or deny it. Or, in the case of The March for Our Lives, with whom we will share the world-wide stage.
Belonging is not the same as inclusion.
I have seen the tension between inclusion and belonging played out throughout my life.
Diversity initiatives set the stage so that at least my presence or absence as a “minority” in a group (school, workplace, community) was noted. Inclusion initiatives raised the bar. It wasn’t just about the numbers, it was also about who had a seat at the table, rather than a place on the menu. Who was allowed to speak, rather than who was allowed to show up. Who participated in decision-making, and who determined the allocation of resources. It was, and is, about sharing power and privilege.
I’ve often been the recipient of a seat at the table as a person of color with the trustees of wealth and privilege. Yet despite my high profile presence at those tables, my inclusion, I rarely had the sense that I belonged. Scanning these board rooms or conference tables over the years I usually felt that I was an invited guest. Not someone who had earned the right to belong, despite a record of pioneering business achievements in finance, deep and innovative civic engagement, or educational credentials (Harvard and Princeton) that were rarely exceeded.
Belonging requires acceptance, and that I did not feel. I searched for evidence to the contrary, but could not find it — not even in the simplest, most familiar gestures. Invitations to a Red Sox or Patriots game? None. A golf outing? Never. Dinner with them or their friends, a cookout, a bar mitzvah? Not one. A cup of coffee? Nada. An invitation to contribute to a benefit dinner or gala — well that’s a different story.
Inclusion too often has prescribed limits that stop far short of belonging. Belonging means that you have an accepted claim to or share of equity; an ownership in a group of relationships, rights, resources or privileges. It means you are treated as a worthy person in a respectful manner. It should also mean that such belonging is shared.
The March for Our Lives participants showed us what that change looks like.
Shared belonging is hard. Change always is.
We’ve been trying to get it right for over 200 years. The next 20 will be defining. Will we push further apart in our persistent and ultimately self-limiting struggle for control, or will we follow the March for Our Lives example and embrace the opportunity to rise?
Change resulting in shared belonging will require each of us to participate in reconciling on moral grounds our intangible, unexamined, and often self-serving beliefs and behaviors. Getting out of the way to let others lead with courage, or stepping up ourselves. Putting aside our sense of superiority, or fear; discarding our conventional wisdoms that serve as safe harbors for maintaining the status quo. Discarding our threadbare “best practices” to create far higher standards and outcomes.
Are we going to let our kids do the heavy lifting?
We have kicked the issue down the road for our children to resolve, and now this generation is taking it up. The future is already here, but many of us only see the past. We don’t seem prepared to accept that multicultural diversity is a fact in this country. We don’t see that most of our first graders are now of color. Or for that matter, that Harvard’s admitted Class of 2022 is 53% of color. Will we wait for them to teach us how to lead? Worse, will we continue to tolerate or resist them? Or will we embrace this moment and join with them to form a more perfect union?
Take your place in the movement for Radical Inclusion.
Belonging goes both ways. You have a role to play in this movement, either for or against.
Let’s get in step with our young adults and practice the political, social, and business leadership that will make their lives easier and their future brighter. Let’s go beyond the slow pace of superficial inclusion and make it radical — authentic, urgent and unsatisfied with anything less than fully shared belonging.
At Reinventure Capital we will do our part. We have staked a claim on behalf of founders who are women and of color that they have a rightful seat at the table of opportunity and capital. That they are worthy of that place and deserve to belong among those building our next generation of businesses catalyzing our nation’s economic growth and well-being. We believe that radical inclusion will unleash radical innovation and widespread prosperity.
We know the future is upon us and promises to be exciting, but it is far from guaranteed and time is of the essence.
Please join us now.
*While there’s no such thing as a guarantee in investing and no one can reliably predict the future, Ed’s prior track record provides direct evidence that it is indeed possible to consistently invest for both financial returns and social value creation. To learn more, please contact us.