Blackness in Music, Blindness in Leadership

Writing this at Southside Cellar

As I write this, I am in Fort Worth, Texas, a day before the Forth Worth African-American Music Festival (FWAAMFEST). This festival celebrates blackness in American roots music, and I am here for all of it. This festival not only highlights the richness of Black musical heritage but also serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of celebrating a fuller history of American music and acknowledging all the diversity within the genre of Americana music, including its bluegrass and country roots. 

A little over a year ago, I took a 360 leadership evaluation. This process was incredibly enlightening, revealing my strengths as a leader and highlighting areas ripe for growth. If you've never done one, I strongly encourage it. It's a powerful way to gain insight into the kind of leader you are and how others perceive you. Part of the process involves selecting individuals from your life who know you well and have observed your performance over the years.

After completing my evaluation and reflecting on it with my coach, I realized that every person I sent the pre-evaluation questions was white. In retrospect, save for my military stint in my twenties, every supervisor I've ever had has been white. My time at an HBCU for graduate school was a period of thriving, standing in stark contrast to these experiences. This awakening forced me to deal with the truth of how racism has influenced both how I'm evaluated and how I am seen in the professional world, even by people who have known me for years. Recently, I shared a story of my first professional job as a rabbi and how, after one year during my evaluation, I felt like I was being evaluated as a rabbi with 15 years of experience in, contrast to a male white bearded colleague who was given so much grace for mistakes he made as a first-year rabbi. In reflection, I feel like I was set up for failure. While this example was more extreme, I want people to understand that in America, race is always a factor when the person being evaluated is Black.

While I recognize that my story is not unique, acknowledging it is still deeply unsettling. The idea that any Black person in America might only be supervised by white individuals highlights the urgent need for systemic change. Spending my entire career under white supervision is a painful reminder of this reality, and articulating this observation is challenging. It underscores the pervasive nature of racial biases within our societal frameworks, a reality many Black individuals navigate daily.

It's almost Shabbat, so I pivot to this week's Torah portion, which always has so much to offer. Connecting this personal reflection to the themes of Pekudei, the concluding portion of the Book of Exodus offers a poignant parallel. Pekudei recounts the completion of the Mishkan, emphasizing meticulous accountability, collective effort, and Divine presence. It illustrates a community coming together, each member contributing unique gifts to create a sacred space. This narrative champions the values of inclusivity, transparency, and the significance of every individual's contribution—principles that resonate deeply with my own experiences and aspirations.

The detailed accounting of resources for the Mishkan construction in Pekudei echoes the reflective process of the 360 leadership evaluation, emphasizing the importance of recognizing and valuing diverse perspectives and contributions. Just as the Mishkan was built through the collective efforts of the entire Israelite community, reflecting a model of inclusivity and collective action, our communities and leadership circles must strive to be spaces where every voice is heard, and every identity is acknowledged and celebrated and we must work hard to ensure our leaders reflect the people they are serving. 

Moreover, the Divine presence in the completed Mishkan, signifying God's closeness to the Israelite community, highlights the divine principle that diversity within unity can coexist harmoniously. This notion reinforces the idea that every individual, regardless of their role or background, plays a crucial role in our communities' communal and spiritual life. It serves as a powerful metaphor for the journey towards inclusivity and the celebration of diversity, demonstrating that embracing the richness of identities among us can enhance our collective spiritual and communal life.

As I reflect on my experiences, my anticipation of the FWAAMFEST, and my leadership journey, the lessons of Pekudei offer guiding principles for embracing diversity, fostering inclusivity, and recognizing the value of every individual's contribution. These narratives, from the ancient to the contemporary, remind us of the strength found in our diverse identities and experiences. By drawing from these lessons, we can move forward in a way that celebrates and elevates the collective spirit of our communities, ensuring that each person's unique contributions are recognized and valued, thus enriching the fabric of our shared humanity.