Dear colleagues,
There are rumors circulating on the internet that I have made racially insensitive and inappropriate remarks in the past.
As your boss, I wanted to take a moment to address this with you all head on.
I’m not racist and we can leave it at that. No need to dig around the internet in search of incriminating information. There’s no need to go to Twitter, no need to type my username into the search bar, and there’s definitely no need to read anything posted before 2013.
Sure, those tweets might seem inappropriate but that’s because they’re being taken out of context. Did I tweet a racial slur? Technically, yes. But I was tweeting lyrics from “I’m So Paid” by Akon. Do you mean to tell me that loving R&B is suddenly racist?
You all know me. I am a dedicated husband and loving father. I have black friends – many of them. Mexican and Asian ones, too. I volunteered in an underserved community one time and I was barely afraid to park my Mercedes on the street.
While we’re on the topic of social media, please also disregard my Instagram and Tumblr accounts from several years ago. There’s a perfectly good explanation for any and all photos of me portraying Puerto Rican and other racial stereotypes. It was most likely Halloween and I probably needed a last-minute costume. We’ve all been there. What was I supposed to do – dress up as Jake from State Farm two years in a row? No way, Jose.
Shoot… is that expression considered racist these days? I can’t keep up.
It’s also important to note that I never wore makeup or facial coloring of any kind. At least I’m pretty sure I didn’t. Regardless, if you were there you would have been able to see just how hard that costume killed it. Everyone found it funny – even the one Puerto Rican dude at the party.
But all of that is irrelevant, anyway. As we’ve discussed, there’s no need to do a deep dive into my social media accounts because, as previously stated, I am not a racist.
In fact, to prove how not racist I am in a totally not overcompensating kind of way, I will be posting many #blacklivesmatter think pieces and donation receipts to my Instagram. It won’t be easy, but it’s the work that must be done. And if I happen to lose a few followers as a result, I’m prepared to live with that.
Finally, as part of my commitment to making you believe once and for all that I am not a racist, I will be increasing the number of BIPOC we employ here. From two to four. That’s a 100% increase, people. Those numbers feel lofty, but I’m confident we’ll be able to meet and maybe even surpass them at some vague point in the future if we remain steadfast in our commitment.
We can fix racism if we work together. But the time for talk is over and the time for action is now.
To quote the late Dr. Martin Luther King: “I have a dream.”
Warmest regards,
Your Non-Racist Boss, Mentor, and Ally
