Darrell "Coach D" Andrews Takes Deeper Look Into Historic Event, Which Had Nothing to Do With Lack of Diversity And Inclusion
PRNEWSWIRE/BEAR, DEL. - There are many conversations and interests in the Tulsa Massacre of 1921 due to the release of the recent film and celebration of the 100th year of the event.
"It is now news on a national level. Many Caucasian people are unaware the event ever happened," proclaims Darrell "Coach D" Andrews, racial equity consultant and author of the soon to be released book Equity Is Not A Head Issue, It Is A Heart Issue. "Chances are, this is due to it simply being a part of a long list of incidents that were considered completely normal to their ancestors and never discussed."
"The event took place not because of diversity; it was evident that diversity existed due to the ability for Black people then to build businesses. It did not occur due to inclusion-for again; Blacks were allowed to build the businesses with no interruption. The massacre happened because White people in the '20s did not want Black people to have power, wealth, and influence beyond theirs, which is fully steeped in equity," Andrews said.
Equity in DEI terms means "Equal opportunity and access." Tulsa took place simply because White Americans in Tulsa did not want Black people to be equal with them.
There is another reason as well.
"One of the residues of slavery that still impacts today is simply this: Black people did not come to the USA for an opportunity. We were brought here to be slaves. The White slave owners saw us a property, and we are the only race of people in the United States history-that came as property. White Americans owned us.
"So, even though Tulsa happened 100 years ago, many still struggle with Black Americans being on equal footing and getting equal opportunities due to this residue. Therefore, racial equity is difficult for many non-Blacks to embrace. It is a historical perspective that is steeped in the DNA of our nation and will never change until people's hearts change," Andrews explained.
"This is a different perspective that we are open to discuss! As my mentee, Pierre Campbell, states, 'Until DEI is seen as a human relation' initiative, things will never change. Hard to do for many when people of color were initially 'not human,'" Andrews concluded.
This is a challenging topic, according to Andrews, that many need to be aware of to lead to change.
