our guide to How to Write a More Equitable Job Post is here. It's free, it's shareable, and we invite you to make it yours, with the goal that it will provide one fraction of the transformative cultural shift that we continue to experience.

We are hesitant to use the word 'guide' when this, like all antiracism work, is built on leadership of many Black and Indigenous folks who are the true guides in the work of dismantling racism and oppression of all kinds. Rather than 'owning' it, we want to offer it as an ongoing, dynamic, evolving starting point. We look forward to updating it over the coming years with your questions, suggestions, and additions, so keep them coming. (This week, it's a shareable guide on instagram. Coming soon, a free PDF version that you can pass around or link to or bookmark for easy access.) 

Back in October, we shared a newsletter about Equal Opportunity Employment statements - how they can be looked at differently and some that we were particularly inspired by - and that kicked off a series of conversations about the seemingly small things we can do, within the space of one seemingly small job post, to look at the hiring process as an act of antiracism. 

When we consider the overwhelming amount of things we'd like to see changed in this world, and the weight of our biggest priorities - like social justice and climate change (which are, of course, inextricably linked) - it often feels insurmountable. The things we do with our daily lives can seem so futile, and yet over time we see how the accumulation of small changes do shift the tide and gather momentum.

I always find myself going back to the question of the aluminum can. It's lying there on the sidewalk as I walk the dog each morning, and it may still be there in the afternoon. With the threat of COVID, it seems like I shouldn't be picking up anything that doesn't belong to me. But I do pick up the can, because I cannot not pick it up. 

This reminder - not of the things that are too big to imagine, but of the urgent, essential acts that make up just another day in our one and only life, is the one that has kept us going over the past several months as we write countless emails to employers to ask questions about reconsidering the coded language in a job description, or remind them that our compensation policy requires that all jobs are paid minimum wage or better. (You might also want to check out past messages on improving your Company Description, or How to Apply instructions.)

We've witnessed firsthand how much job posts can improve simply by questioning the notion of 'that's just what you're supposed to include in a job post' (for example, requiring a 'valid drivers license' or 'reliable transportation'). The subtle shifts are slowly but surely changing the culture of the language in job posts - and changing the culture in the organizations posting them. So we turned this work into a guide in the hopes that it would help you, or someone you know, pick up that %#$!ing can and keep going.

We leave you with the words of Richard Rothstein, whose unforgettable examination of the true history of segregation in the United States legal system - across federal, state, and local levels - is a must-read:

Organizations work better if members are comfortable with colleagues’ cultural assumptions that may give rise to different perspectives. Social psychologists have found that segregation can give whites an unrealistic belief in their own superiority, leading to poorer performance if they feel less need to challenge themselves. Experiments show that when we are in teams with others from similar backgrounds, we tend to go along with the popular view rather than think for ourselves, resulting in less creative groups more prone to make errors.” – Richard Rothstein, The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America  (emphasis ours)

Yours in food, justice, and food justice,

Dor + Tay

original artwork by Gina Lorubbio of the Heirloom Food Project