The devastating attack on an Orlando nightclub earlier this week drew responses of support and unity from MBA students and professionals around the globe, as showcased in yesterday’s Top MBA Tweets of the Week. We also took note of this insightful piece on LinkedIn posted by NYU Stern alumna Rachel Hurnyak (MBA ’15), who now works as a project manager for Tesla.
We first connected with Hurnyak last May, just after she was honored by Stern Dean Peter Henry for her work to promote inclusion and diversity within Stern’s MBA class. Hurnyak was instrumental in helping lead Stern’s effort last year to expand “allyship”—a concept promoted within the LGBTQ community of inviting straight peers to serve as allies to LGBTQ community members—to be inclusive of all community members, a first among business schools.
As the following post makes evident, she is very much carrying this practice forward in her professional work. Our thanks to Hurnyak for agreeing to share her thoughtful response on how to be an ally to LGBTQ and/or Muslim colleagues in this difficult time.
The following post has been republished in its entirety from its original source.
Actionable Ways to Be an Ally to Your LGBTQ and/or Muslim Colleagues After the Orlando Tragedy
By Rachel Huryak
This week and beyond will be difficult for your LGBTQ and/or Muslim colleagues. We have to get back to work, even though our communities are grieving. One community grieves because our members were killed in one of the first safe spaces we ever knew (or know.) The second community grieves because they’re being blamed for those killings. Below are actionable ways to help your colleagues navigate this difficult time. Such kindness and leadership is valuable and likely to be remembered. Don’t be surprised when compassion comes back to you when you need it most, be it in or out of the office.
1.) Make a commitment to equality. Join your organization’s LGBTQ employee resource group and note the next event on your calendar. Then, attend. Give blood in honor of the victims, especially since some members of the LGBTQ community are banned from donating blood. Research why the ban exists. Donate to a civil rights organization that speaks to your heart. Research political candidates who already stand for justice—not just those who do so when tragedy strikes. Then, vote.
2.) Ask your colleagues how they are doing rather than telling them how you feel. In the aftermath of the Orlando tragedy, you may want to signal to your LGBTQ and/or Muslim colleagues that you care about civil rights. The best way to do so is by providing such colleagues with the space to share how they are doing. Then, listen. Sharing how you feel, instead, takes space and time away from those who need it most in order to grieve and heal.
3.) Ask questions of yourself and your organization. If you don’t have an LGBTQ employee resource group, ask why. Reach out to someone in human resources and inquire. Even better: Volunteer to help start a group. Ask yourself how your Muslim LGBTQ colleagues are feeling this week, as they grieve for one community and defend another. If applicable, ask yourself why you don’t know of any LGBTQ and/or Muslim colleagues. What does that say about your organization? Your team? You? Research unconscious bias. Then, reflect. Think about who you may be excluding. Then, break the pattern.
