Photo Credit: Shelah Marie
Late last Friday afternoon, I joined a Zoom call. Several DJA team members were there as was a client in Detroit. In all, three Black women, similar in age, were present. The obligatory, “How are you doing?” started the conversation. Our client paused—we’ve developed wonderful rapport—averted her eyes, and said “You know, God willing and the creek don’t rise.” All three Black women in the meeting burst into familiar laughter. We were in a space in which we fully belonged, able to experience and share a mutual sense of exhaustion in a way that reinforced sisterhood and support. I haven’t stopped smiling since.
The saying “God willing and the creek don’t rise” has been around for a long time, but it was likely popularized in Johnny Nash’s song “If the Lord’s Willing.” Most folks I know attribute it to our Big Mamas. Wikipedia describes it as an “American slang expression implying strong intentions subject to complete frustration by uncommon but not unforeseeable events.” Note: If you like following rabbit holes, I strongly recommend a bit of exploration on the origin of the phrase. It's hotly contested, to say the least.
Back to belonging: This is the sweet spot that so many of us are trying to find in our work, in our relationships, and in the health of our organizations. Belonging is never feeling “othered.” It’s always knowing, without too much effort exerted by anyone in particular—and certainly not by you—that you are in the right place. You are seen. You are valued as “part of us”; not in an assimilationist way, but in a way that allows your full essence to be present, expressed, and, simultaneously, a part of who we are. It’s a feeling, not an action, which means it goes beyond “inclusion training.” There’s no number of bullet-point check-lists on how to be inclusive that can teach one person how to convey a sense of belonging to another. Conveying a sense of belonging requires being fully comfortable and competent with us—all of us—in a shared space.
So how can leaders and organizations create and nurture a sense of belonging? Try these tips:
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