Recently we profiled one of our publishers, Ryan Tillman of Breaking Barriers United, and highlighted his work via webinar and an introductory article about his accomplishments.

In this article, we’re expanding the conversation and diving deeper into Ryan’s mission, goals, and the meaning of empowerment in the Black community.

What does Black empowerment mean to you?

To me, Black empowerment means taking control of your life, despite being black – despite the color of your skin. 

This may sound contradictory to the idea of black empowerment. But here’s what I mean: 

I was raised to be proud of who I am – to be proud of being an African American male. I learned about my history growing up – about my culture and my roots. And I learned there was a lot of oppression towards Black people. When I learned that, it was hard – realizing that man, I can’t believe my ancestors had to go through that simply based on the color of their skin. But at the same time, it was inspirational, because I learned that no matter the color of your skin, you can rise and overcome. 

I love the fact that I’m Black because it makes me unique; it allows me to bring perspectives from another culture. I also think the empowerment part of it means we can go out there and be strong. We can be like Frederick Douglass or Harriet Tubman and other Black ancestors that went ahead of me to pave the way.

How does the work you do with Breaking Barriers United and with OpenSesame help to empower the Black community?

I think it helps empower the Black community because it gives them hope that they can do something that’s not within their realm. And what I mean by that is if you look at law enforcement right now, there’s not a lot of diversity within the profession. It’s more than what it used to be, but it’s not as diverse as it could be. 

It’s also about the Black community’s perception of how they view law enforcement. They see us as the enemy. They see us as the oppressors – as an extension of slavery, some might say, which isn’t true. The work that I do with OpenSesame and with the Black community allows people to change the way they see law enforcement – when they see a Black police officer and hear from my experiences, their perception shifts.

At the same time, I think that we can improve as a profession. By creating elearning courses through OpenSesame as a Black police officer, not only am I helping change the way people view law enforcement, I’m also able to educate people about it at the same time.

What’s an example of how you’ve changed the Black community’s perspective through your work as an officer?

I had an interesting conversation a few weeks ago with a guy who’s a convicted felon. We start talking, and he starts sharing about his life. He’d been in and out of the criminal justice system for years – been arrested, sent to prison. So we’re talking and like I said, he’s just spewing his heart out to me, telling me everything about himself. This is before he knew what I did. 

So we got to that part in the conversation where he asks what I do. I tell him I’m a cop and his eyes get huge. He’s like, “Man, I can’t believe I told all this information to a cop!” And then we continue the conversation. At the end, he says, “You know what, Ryan, one of the things that I respect about you is that you didn’t bat an eye when I was telling you everything. As a matter of fact, you didn’t cast any judgment. There was no shift in the conversation where I felt judgment coming from you.” And I just said, “Well, that’s because we’re all humans. Every one of us has made mistakes. Who am I to judge?”

I just go out there and try to be myself. I’m Ryan Tillman – Corporal Tillman, not Popo Tillman. In doing this I’ve been able to develop relationships with people and change their perspectives.

And this happens all the time. People approach me and tell me how I’ve changed their viewpoint – a side I hadn’t seen before. This is my ultimate goal.

How have you changed hearts and minds through the workshops you give in BBU? 

I’m always transparent. I talk about where I came from, why I became a police officer. And I always address the elephant in the room upfront. I start by asking, “Who doesn’t like police officers?” Not surprisingly, most or all hands go up. Then, throughout my presentation, I educate them about law enforcement: what it is, why we exist, what we do in our roles. 

And then we role-play. The students go through scenarios where they have to make decisions as a police officer in the field. It’s an eye-opening moment for all of them – they’re like, “Wow, this was very hard!” And that’s done in a static environment, where it’s not real. I ask them to imagine the decisions that real police officers make daily where it’s not static, where it’s not fun and games – where it’s life or death. 

By having these conversations and working through these scenarios non-judgmentally, we’re instrumental in challenging perceptions. 

Anything else you’d like others to know? 

You can accomplish whatever you want to accomplish. You may have to take risks, but there will be rewards. Get out of your comfort zones; explore the treacherous waters in order to get to the other side of that ocean. Because when you get there, there will be an abundance of whatever you want – success, or whatever it is – as long as you’re willing to take the plunge and swim through.

To learn more about Ryan and his work, check out our previous article, webinar, and OpenSesame’s Breaking Barriers United courses.

The post Black Empowerment with Ryan Tillman of Breaking Barriers United appeared first on OpenSesame.

The other day I was aimlessly scrolling LinkedIn and scrolled past a rare sighting. Actually who am I kidding? It wasn’t a rare sighting. It was something I’d actually never seen before, except for when I look at my own profile. I scrolled past a brown face with box braids wrapped up into a perfectly round top knot. I was less intrigued by her hair and more so by her headline–partnerships and alliances expert. There’s another Black person who works in partnerships. 

No way! 

Finding your way into the land of partnerships is already a mystery. No one wakes up wishing to work in the channel. Many of us just end up here and we love it so much that we stick around forever. But seeing someone whose skin and hair resembled mine who also had a similar role to me brought me some satisfaction I haven’t had in a while. I stared at her page for longer than I probably should have, but I was too nervous to hit the connect button. I didn’t want to seem like a weirdo. So I slowly backed away from her page and quietly wished her the best of luck in her channel career while praising her Black Girl Magic.

Just a few days later I came across ANOTHER face that stopped me in my tracks. I recently joined Partnership Leaders to connect with other channels and alliances leaders and as I was looking at their upcoming events I noticed one of the speakers was a Black man carrying the title of SVP, Global Strategic Alliances. Y’all, that makes three of us!

Now, don’t get me wrong, I never felt like I was the only Black person working in partnerships. I just haven’t had the opportunity to interact much with people in channel roles who look like me. I’ve never seen them. Seeing other faces that look like me, doing a role similar to mine, brought me so much pride but it also made me desire connection. I wanted to hear about their experiences. I wanted to learn about their journey. I wanted to share stories and laughs and eyerolls surrounding all the things. 

So this time I gathered my courage and I sent a LinkedIn message. I hated that I was crippled by fear a few days prior. I still felt very weird, and slightly stalkerish about reaching out to a total stranger on LinkedIn, but I did it anyway. I kept it super simple.

Me: Hi Todd. I saw you listed as a speaker for a Partnership Leaders event next week. I don’t know many Channel leaders that look like me, so I had to reach out to say hello.

I’m looking forward to your session on partnering with agencies.

Him: Thanks, Rasheité. And amen to that!

And I am proud to say my courage paid off. I’m now connected to another Black leader in Strategic Partnerships. That might seem pretty small to many folks, but it’s huge for me. Being the ‘“only” isn’t easy. It gets lonely and can be fairly isolating at times. That said, I think there’s plenty we can all take from my story of courage. 

I’ll leave you with two bits of encouragement. 

#1: if you’re in a position of leadership and you ever look up and there’s an “only” on your team, consider their experience and explore ways to make sure they feel supported and included. 

#2: If you’re an “only” on your team or in your company, don’t be afraid to seek out connections with folks outside of your company who share your same experience. It’s a good way to build community.

At OpenSesame we proudly promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The post Finding Connection as the ‘Only’ by Rasheité Calhoun appeared first on OpenSesame.

On behalf of Black Folx ERG, it is an honor to be featured this month. As one of the leaders and founding members of Black Folx ERG, it has been beneficial to have a space where black people can come together to talk about our experiences in life. We meet as a group every two weeks, have a private online Slack channel, and often feature guest speakers along with coordinating a virtual monthly cookout. 

The ERG gives me the opportunity to build positive relationships with colleagues in my community, but in some cases provides a safe space to talk about our true feelings of hurt and pain. 

I believe that America experienced a turning point on May 25, 2020—the day George Floyd was murdered. Ever since, I have seen more Americans try to understand the black experience through mediums like spoken word, movies, art, as well as having deeper conversations. Black History Month is one of the many ways that we can continue the conversation. By reflecting on our past (even one as recent as May 2020) we can come together to hopefully create a better future. 

Black History Month is not only a time to recognize the experience of black people, but also to reflect on the achievements of trailblazers who have forged a path of excellence before us. Recently, on Dr. Martin Luther King Day, I got an opportunity to volunteer at Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity (a historically black fraternity) by mentoring black boys on the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics careers. I was often asked if there are any people who look like me in those fields. I proudly tell them, “yes” and that they too can achieve their dream with hard work and dedication. Dedication, discipline, and determination are what are required. 

To me, OpenSesame has been a blessing where any employee can be their authentic selves. Having resources like the ERGs truly helps to build a culture of an inclusive workplace. I believe that great companies have not only great products but also great people that work there.  I take great pride in working at OpenSesame where I am given the opportunity to succeed and while doing so, be my own authentic black self.

My favorite quote by Dr. King is: “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice”. Change takes a long time, but it does happen. 

At OpenSesame we proudly promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The post What Having a Black Folx ERG Means to Me by Roo Gatimu appeared first on OpenSesame.