Reflections From A Post-Election Town Hall: Where Do We Go From Here?

On Wednesday, November 9, I sent an email to every member of the Jopwell community that was different from any email I’ve sent before. I wasn’t writing to announce an exciting new partner company or website feature. This was me writing as a Black man in America – and CEO of a company whose mission is to empower Black, Latino/Hispanic, and Native American professionals and students to successfully navigate their careers – to acknowledge that this historic election had, for many, created a lot of challenges, concerns, and conversations.

I did this because, no matter your political leanings, the emboldened hate and other issues raised throughout the election directly affect our communities.

Jolted away from the tunnel vision that can consume me as an early-stage startup founder, I shared:

“It has been an incredibly challenging year to be a person of color in America. Amidst rapidly rising racial tension and social unrest, finding the words to speak on what we're feeling … is one of the hardest things we've had to do here at Jopwell.”

And many of you wrote back. You asked great questions, voiced thoughtful concerns, and expressed a true diversity of perspectives. A couple examples:

“I want to know the impact this is going to have in the workplace when it comes to diversity hiring at companies,” one person wrote.

“This election has allowed me to see the world a bit clearer and understand that there's so much more work to do. It's more important than ever to take care of ourselves and take care of each other,” added another.

“How do we empower ourselves and influence institutional structures to support us when we may never be the majority? What changes should we focus on to bridge that gap and bond despite the cultural differences between cities and rural area?” asked someone else.

You talked about mental health, self-care, activism, racism, economic vitality, entrepreneurship, and independence. You hit on the divide and apparent disconnect in America today – the feeling that we are too often talking past those whose views differ from our own and not actually stopping to look around, listen, and understand.

Moved by your passionate responses, my team and I got to work planning a post-election town hall. Last Thursday, 150 folks joined us live in New York City, and dozens more tuned in via livestream, to share our experiences and discuss ways to move forward.

We ended the fruitful off-the-record discussion with a call to action, inviting everyone to grab a few Post-it notes and personally address the collective question, “Where do we go from here?”

Here are just some of the pledges that came out of the evening:

I Pledge To …

• Empower & inform our community
• Live, listen, love, laugh, learn
• Vote in 2018!
• Work harder to get to know people with different viewpoints
• Not lose faith in people
• Educate myself and my community
• Teach my students how to have uncomfortable conversations
• Donate and volunteer with Planned Parenthood!
• Speak up
• Talk to my White friends
• Volunteer in the community
• Mentor Hispanic entrepreneurs
• Try to make the truth accessible
• Engage in open dialogue on race
• Spark real conversations in my workplace
• Listen more, especially to those with different beliefs
• Have constructive conversations without getting emotional & upset
• Subscribe to newspapers to promote real journalism
• Engage with elected officials and encourage ethical voting & policymaking
• Have more empathy
• Elevate each other
• Create equitable access to tech education in NYC
• Attend more meetings about civic engagement
• STAY WOKE!
• Never let fear cripple me
• Keep moving forward

We may not agree on everything – that’s part of our democracy – but one thing that we’re hopefully aligned on is the reality that the election has sparked a much-needed reflection. We look forward to continuing the conversation.

Images by Yemi Adewunmi