In my first job in a for-profit business, the owner said to me, “We didn’t really have plans to hire 2 analysts but I’m SO glad we hired you.” In my young, 23 year old, bright-eyed naivete I expected the next statement to be, "We see how hard you work and I want to thank and congratulate you."

Instead my new boss said, “You know, it’s hard for young black guys like yourself to get good jobs. I bet you feel good working with us now.”

At that moment it all made sense.

He thought he was doing me, and by extension all black people, a favor employing little old me. Yet in reality, I was working twice as hard for half as much as my white colleague.

For context, I had noticed that the white colleague they hired before me seemed to have a very different job but the same job title. I found myself doing all of the grunt work of the business while also having the same expectations for my analyst work. To add insult to injury, I was also getting half the training he got.

We’ve all seen the signs.

Do you think that person is biased against black folks? Do you suspect this person is sexist? How did THEY get this job? How did they get to this position of power? Are they stealing my ideas? Did he just repeat Sheryl’s idea as if it was his? They got this job because of their daddy, right? I wouldn’t take that kind of abuse from my boss if I were her.

Unacknowledged racism/sexism and quiet racism/sexism are just as insidious as the blatant racism that Donald Trump displayed by directly ordering white supremacists to “stand back and stand by” on national television.

The quiet, entitled, white supremacist racism is the lifeblood of the American economy driving wedges among working people of all genders and races, sustaining inequity, sustaining wage gaps, and sustaining wealth gaps and at the same time undermining the mental and physical health of workers from underrepresented groups. Put simply, it is a legal form of theft.

In fact, I would argue from my experience, that leaders don’t just gain minor advantages for their bad behavior but are often rewarded for gaining a competitive advantage when they deploy sexist and racist tactics that ultimately drive down wages and keep employees from working in solidarity.

Reaching the mountaintop is possible.

Due to my experience with this quiet racism early on in my career, I vowed not to pass along these words, actions, or ideologies because of the common phrase "that is what they did to me." Instead, I strive to break the cycle and utilize intersectional frameworks in my consulting to expand who is invited to provide their experience as evidence and always try to look to relieve the pressure of oppression in human systems.

Now, as a leader myself I have come to believe that when we truly implement moral and equity-based strategies, leaders in both the public and private sectors no longer ignore and reward the signs of abusive leadership practices. Instead institutions and systems can be built that center workers and give them a place to comfortably express their concerns and be truly heard and believed without retaliation. Through my work, I have also found that systems can empower workers and close wage gaps and see employees as human assets to be cared for rather than productivity machines to be squeezed.

How different will our work lives be when we center the lowest paid person in the analysis of our strategic plans? If you're a nonprofit leader, how do you include the voice of clients and partners in your program plans? Have you assessed your organizational success by how far one can go treating others with kindness?

We are free to ask these questions and more. And we can take action if leaders of good conscious join together with workers.