022 - White Women Leading the Fight for Racial Equity with Dr. Nikki Lanier In this episode of the 6 to 7 Figure Woman podcast, host Meghann Conter welcomes Dr. Nikki Lanier, CEO of Harper Slade and founder of the RAARE Women's Collective. They discuss Dr. Nikki's professional journey from law to the Federal Reserve, emphasizing her focus on creating inclusive workplace cultures. The conversation highlights the role of white women in advancing racial equity, the importance of grace and compassion, and the need for collective action. Dr. Nikki highlights the RAARE Women's Collective, which supports white women in fostering environments where racism cannot thrive. The episode concludes with a call to action for listeners to engage in racial equity initiatives. What we discussed: The introduction (00:00:02) Meghann introduces the guest, Dr. Nikki Lanier, and sets the tone for an exciting and inspiring conversation. Dr. Nikki's professional journey (00:01:38) Dr. Nikki shares her career journey from practicing law to working in human resources and then transitioning to focus on monetary policy and macroeconomics. Meeting Meghann and the birth of RAARE (00:04:54) Dr. Nikki and Meghann discuss how they met and the inception of RAARE, a program suite aimed at advancing racial equity and influencing white women. Teaching and learning from each other (00:09:02) Meghann expresses her desire to support Dr. Nikki and learn from her, emphasizing the importance of mutual support and understanding. The power of grace and compassion (00:11:33) The conversation delves into the significance of grace and compassion in addressing racial equity, emphasizing the need to focus on the intended outcome and manage racial inequity. Harper Slade and the focus on race and ethnicity (00:16:06) Dr. Nikki explains that Harper Slade focuses on positioning workplaces for a multicultural world, particularly addressing race, ethnicity, and workplace dynamics. The birth and purpose of RAARE (00:19:35) Dr. Nikki elaborates on the creation of RAARE, a program suite designed to help white women cultivate environments where racism cannot thrive, emphasizing the importance of addressing racial discussions in white households. Note: The timestamps are approximate and may vary slightly depending on the specific audio content. The conversation cards (00:22:08) White women's unique position to shape change, leveraging anger, and dispensation in time. The three P's: Power (00:23:12) Women's increasing power, influence, and resource allocation in corporate settings, and the potential to lead through the lens of racial equity. The power of divine femininity (00:24:10) Exploring the erasure of women's history and the strength of divine feminine energy. The position of womanhood (00:25:09) The potent and underutilized position of women, particularly in advocacy and influence within family dynamics. Proximity to white men (00:26:48) Leveraging the unique proximity of white women to influence and soften the hearts of white men in advancing racial equity. The demographic shift by 2045 (00:27:39) The impact of the demographic shift and the need to fully engage black and Hispanic people in the American dream. The economic impact of racial inequity (00:28:16) The significant economic costs of racial inequity and the need to address racism as a barrier to economic mobility. The vision of a racially equitable world (00:31:18) Creating a society where racism can't breathe, proportional fairness, and amplification of economic footing for black and Hispanic people. Teaching the history of black and brown people (00:33:17) Incorporating the history of black and brown people into education to provide a comprehensive understanding of the American experience. Remediation for racial equity (00:35:27) Addressing the residue of historical injustices through affirmative action and reparations to correct past systemic barriers. Creating a meaningful record (00:37:26) Establishing a legacy of white women's meaningful involvement in advancing racial equity through the RAARE Women's Collective. Women-centric policy priorities (00:41:24) The potential power of women's organizations coming together to advocate for three common policy priorities with legislators. Belief in collective change (00:43:27) The need for women to believe in their collective ability to change the world and support each other in advancing racial equity. Women's Policy Priorities (00:45:49) Discussion on the need for women to unite around policy priorities, emphasizing the importance of a unified, policy-centric approach. Addressing Racism in Daily Life (00:47:15) Exploring actions individuals can take to address racism in their daily interactions, including presuming its presence and engaging in conversations about race. Policy Considerations for Racial Equity (00:50:53) Highlighting specific policy priorities, such as reproductive rights, affirmative action, and reparations, aimed at closing the gap and building economic sustenance for marginalized populations. Supporting Women in Political Positions (00:54:04) Considering ways RAARE Women's Collective could support women running for state and federal positions to advance policy goals. Examining Beliefs and Shifting Actions (00:56:19) Encouraging introspection and curiosity about beliefs to influence actions, emphasizing the need for an evolution of beliefs to drive change. Practical Solutions and Resources (01:03:41) Promoting practical solutions, resources, and ongoing initiatives, including workshops, retreats, conversation cards, and a racial equity operative program offered by RAARE Women's Collective. Handling Heated Conversations (01:05:50) Strategies for dealing with heated conversations and seeking help in the group. Graceful Responses (01:07:04) The importance of providing grace when answering questions and moving the needle on the conversation. Building a Legacy (01:07:29) The role of each person in building a world where racism can't breathe and the appreciation for the organization's work. Closing Remarks (01:08:05) Expressing gratitude and encouraging listeners to be active and grab the links from the show notes. Quotes: “We answer the question, where do white women go? And in order to meet with and work with black women who want to teach them how to do this work well. And so the answer is the RAARE Woman collective. And so we have events, live events, we have workshops, we have online learning. We have all kinds of tools, downloadable stuff that you can use. We have information.” - Dr. Nikki Lanier "There's something about our leaning already that casts our eyes more naturally on that body of work anyway. So we, we focus on these three P's. So the first P is power and power something that all women are increasingly having, not just white women, but just if you look at like any Forbes, I don't know, Wall Street Journal, New York Times social media posts, you see women moving up into powerful roles. When I'm talking about power, I'm talking about more career from a career standpoint and the PNL that we now have influence over the corporate vision, statements and visioning that we now have influence over and resource allocation that we have now influence over. More than not, if women would lead from the position of power through the lens of racial equity, it's a way for us to really frame differently the outcomes for the companies and the organizations and the departments that we're managing. So there's something that could be leveraged there. That's the first P power." - Dr. Nikki Lanier “We have tended to get rid of history and hide history. And women are have also experienced that from a space of our own divine feminine energy, which is a natural power that is very strong, but that has largely been erased from history as well. Just the power, that is women for thousands and tens of thousands of years. That's one thing that's been erased. But as as also black history been erased in a lot of cases. So women are especially upset about that when they really learn about it and start realizing what has been erased from us. So there's that power of the divine feminine that's also in there.” - Meghann Conter “It is home by home, community by community, workplace by workplace. we are seeing proportional fairness specific to black and Hispanic people plans, programs, initiatives, focus areas that are specifically designed to assure the accelerated amplification of the economic footing of black and brown people. So that means that you're going to have, you know, specific plans around, black and brown mobility inside of workplaces. you're going to have those conversations in your home about, like, the value of black people and brown people and, and where did racism come from and how do we think about, managing it and in this home, what we stand for. So there's like specific conversation, specific programs, initiatives undertaken for Black and Brown. But those programs and those initiatives take into consideration what has happened. So the other thing that would be true in the world that we're looking to create is that we are teaching the history of black and brown people. What happened to black and brown people? We're teaching that that's K through 12. Not a chapter in a book.” - Dr. Nikki Lanier Links: Nikki’s Website - NikkiLanier.com Meet Nikki Lanier - Canvas Rebel RAARE Woman Collective Connect with Nikki Lanier on LinkedIn Learn about The Dames: https://www.thedames.co/download Qualified Women Business Owners Register for a Dames Virtual Roundtable: Https://www.thedames.co/roundtable Connect with Meghann on LinkedIn Guest Bio: Nikki Lanier Bio When asked why she has focused so much of her professional life on advancing racial equity, Nikki Lanier will tell you it was an assignment passed to her "in utero". Born to parents who
