LEARN from Juneteenth, Then DO.

Now that the federal holiday commemorating Juneteenth is behind us, I'd like to share what I believe to be its most profound lesson for leaders, along with 5 things you can do to make a real difference.

But first, a confessional tangent.

I'd never heard of Juneteenth until I attended Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, having grown up in a small Cape Verdean community in southeastern Massachusetts. New Bedford has many intimate connections to slavery, including the underground railroad and the abolitionist movement, but it is a long way from Houston, and Juneteenth wasn't taught in our classrooms.

My ethnicity is a result of colonization. In fact, in 1462, when Portugal claimed the central Atlantic islands now known as Cape Verde to gain access to West African trade, it marked the start of Portugal's colonial empire. Cape Verde, which consists of ten volcanic islands almost six hundred miles west of Senegal, did not gain independence as an African nation until July 5, 1975--in a movement my father participated in from this side of the water.

Growing up, I did not celebrate the 4th of July. Instead, we celebrated July 5th, our "home" country's independence day. My grandparents were born in Cape Verde, as were many of my friends and their parents. We were a community of first and second generation Americans and just as many immigrants. For an entire weekend surrounding July 5th, we cooked, ate, sang and danced. We held pageants, parades, an annual bike ride. And on Sunday, we gathered as one expansive extended family in a closing celebratory cookout across the street from the beach. We did all the things free people do. And we did them together.

I share this background with you to say this: I do not have the same historical connection to Juneteenth that many Black people whose ancestors were enslaved in the American south do, but I deeply understand what it means to celebrate freedom through a unique cultural lens. And while I do not claim to understand everything Juneteenth means to southern Black Americans, I see in its significance a sobering reminder for all of us, and a powerful call to action for every leader.

For those who don't know, though the Emancipation Proclamation that freed enslaved people was made effective in 1863, it was not implemented in places still under Confederate control. In Texas, enslaved people would not be free until June 19, 1865, when 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay and announced that the more than 250,000 enslaved Black people in the state were free by executive decree. This day came to be known as Juneteenth. Since then, Black communities in Texas and beyond have come together on "freedom day" to remember what was and to celebrate what is and what will be.

You may be wondering what all this has to do with you. People often say they do not understand why Black people are still fighting for equality while they cite civil rights laws and EEOC mandates. But just like Juneteenth, a law means nothing without equitable application. And the workplace analogy? Policies without consistent and uniform practice don't mean anything either.

Why does this matter? Because many organizations have spent the last two years refining their diversity, equity and inclusion statements and revising their policies in an attempt to create more just workplaces. They have stopped short, though, of defining new workplace norms accompanied by true accountability. In short, while their "laws" support equitable outcomes and inclusive workplaces, their choices and behaviors do not. For all their well-intentioned effort, their employees are still not "free" to contribute meaningfully, to achieve greatly...to participate genuinely.

The best way to commemorate Juneteenth, in my humble but informed opinion, is not to change your profile photo. It is to be who you say you are. It's to stop apologizing for the past and start changing your culture to align with your declared vision for that culture.

How do you begin? Here's a quick-start guide:

1. Define great: What will your culture look like, act like, feel like when you get it right?
2. Align with your definition of great: What will be required of you--in choices and behaviors--to achieve your desired state?
3. Measure against your requirements: Assess your culture in specific and relevant terms. If you believe pay transparency is a requirement, measure the degree to which leaders are being transparent about pay. (Don't be cute with it.)
4. Monitor progress: Ask these same targeted questions over time and analyze your trends.
5. Respond appropriately: Reward those who meet your revised expectations and hold accountable those who do not.

If it sounds simple, that's because it is. Creating a more equitable and inclusive workplace is not the rocket science we make it out to be. Should your approach be thoughtful and strategic? Yes. Should you create an engagement plan with timelines and ownership? Yes. Should you be rigorous and disciplined? Yes. But this way of managing change is not foreign to you. You manage important initiatives this way today. Embrace and implement these five steps and rinse and repeat until everyone is clear. Only then will you become the company you say you are. Only then will you create truly free and safe workplaces for Black people, and for everyone else too.

Tara Jaye Frank is an equity strategist who has advised and educated thousands of Fortune 500 executives across multiple industries and large member organizations. Her work, fueled by a deep belief in the creative power and potential of everyone, focuses on building bridges between people, ideas, and opportunity. 

Before founding her culture and leadership consultancy, Tara Jaye Frank spent twenty-one years at Hallmark Cards, where she served in multiple executive roles. Her new book, The Waymakers: Clearing the Path to Workplace Equity with Competence and Confidence, Amplify Publishing, May 2022, was written to help professionals who have a heart to make a way for underrepresented talent lead beyond their good intent.