EP 226: Dr. Meghan Burke

The Other 50%

We are continuing our series of talking with experts who work in various aspects of diversity, equity and inclusion across industries and in entertainment specifically. Today I sat down with Dr. Meghan Burke. We talked about how white people can approach this work without getting hung up on feelings of shame and guilt and centering ourselves. None of that is particularly helpful. We also examined the notion of being "Colorblind" when it comes to race. What's wrong with that?

Dr. Meghan Burke is a sociologist and author of three books about contemporary racism and whiteness, most recently the book Colorblind Racism. She was an award-winning teacher, scholar, diversity advocate, and advisor during her 15 years working as a professor at a small liberal arts college, where for 10 years she co-developed and directed an innovative program designed to equip white students with an understanding of equity, inclusion, and intersectionality so that they could effectively work as partners in DEI efforts.

She also traveled around the country offering keynote talks and workshops for communities looking to deepen their commitments to racial and social justice through interrogations of whiteness. Meghan left higher education in 2021 for a career in industry, utilizing her social science research skills and her subject matter expertise to drive positive change for companies that serve the common good.

We talk about how it is to show up as a white person doing the work of dismantling racist systems. A theme you’ll hear repeatedly is it’s not if and whether, but when and how. That will make sense soon.