Addressing the recurring themes in the LU Tragedy
Theme-Why is a white man leading an HBCU? A white person should not be leading an HBCU.
White men started many of the Black colleges and universities in the US. One of the primary motives was to have a safe place to educate their bi-racial children.
That said, Black people should never have allowed the renaming of the Black the colleges and universities. Renaming then HBCU’s was the beginning of gentrification and that is why many current Historically Black Colleges and Universities are up to 40% white. Many white people are taking advantage of the scholarships that our kids are not taking.
The bigger and more glaring issue is the President’s lack of qualifications. That may be where racism comes into play, because I don’t see a scenario where a former coach and athletic director would ever be named a University President if they were Black. That doesn’t mean though, that unqualified black leaders are not appointed as University presidents at HBCU’s because they are, however, this does seem to be a really low bar.
BUT please pay attention to the news because Black leaders bully too!
Theme-Why is he on paid leave?
The University most likely does not want to risk another lawsuit. They can’t just fire him until an investigation has taken place without risking litigation. Trust and believe me, HBCUs are almost always strapped for cash and they would not be paying him if they didn’t have to.
Theme-She (Antoinette Candia-Bailey) should not have committed suicide. She should have been strong. I would never take my own life. I have no sympathy for a person who commits suicide. God hates it. She is in hell.
Suicide does not determine a person’s eternal destiny. Our eternal destiny rests solely on God’s grace. Those who trust in Jesus Christ are fully forgiven of every sin, and they receive eternal life; those who reject Him remain condemned (John 3:16–18, 36; Ephesians 2:1–10).
If you have never experienced a mental health crisis, you have no idea the storms that occur inside a person’s head. It is extremely evil to condemn a person for committing suicide and in fact, this attitude speaks exactly to her issue. She was not only dismissed, but was also allegedly publicly mocked for having a mental health issue. To say someone “should be strong…” minimizes the mental health issue and or crisis. No one would blame a person with cancer for their disease, yet people are quick to blame a person with a mental illness for their health issue.
People often use Judas as the example of why those who commit suicide are doomed to eternal damnation, but you cannot use Judas as the example. Scripture shows us that Judas was never a true believer and he was also quite possibly a plant. He is not the same as a true believer in Christ.
Further, it is extremely insensitive to say such things while people are grieving. Making statements like these do not draw people closer to Christ and may even push people away from receiving the Gospel.
Times like these call us to follow the scripture and mourn with those who mourn and weep with those who weep. There is a time and place for everything and this is the season of compassion.
Theme-Why didn’t the board step in?
Most boards are charged with general oversight of the “big picture” and don’t concern themselves with the day to day operations such as employee matters.
I believe things need to change. Boards cannot ignore these matters because 1-they do affect the big picture, 2-they never occur in a vacuum. If one person is affected, there are always more. 3-people’s lives are at stake. 4-The organization is at stake.
Theme–What is the HR process? Why didn’t they do something?
That is the million dollar question. Many HR issues are easily resolvable through conversation, informal or formal mediation. In this case it seemed to be very low hanging fruit. In one email she simply asked for a new supervisor. How difficult would that have been to do?
The media reported that she (Dr. Candia-Bailey) was on FMLA. As I understand the law she should not have been fired.
Finally, Lincoln is an 1890 Land-Grant Institution. As such, they are mandated by USDA-NIFA to have clear cut employment grievance and resolution policies and procedures. These are to make it easy for staff, faculty, and even community program participants to make complaints and have those complaints investigated by an approved method, process, or entity.
The “non-discrimination” link to where this information can be found is to be posted on every single webpage. While Lincoln did have this link, the statement did not clearly outline the grievance process. It states that they can contact the HR office, but then what? What does a staff person do if HR fails to address the concern?
Theme-What can I do to help ensure tragedies like this don’t occur in my workplace?
This is the fundamental question we should all be asking because if we are honest with ourselves we have to admit that we have all witnessed bullying at one time or another. When you witnessed it did you speak up? Did you tell the person who committed the act of bullying that they were wrong? Did you support the bullied person by letting them know you witnessed the event and documented it as well?
Bullying doesn’t occur in a vacuum. Bullies like audiences and the bullying they do in private will ALWAYS surface publicly. People witness it and say nothing.
What co-workers can do-
- Speak up and advocate on behalf of the bullied.
- Support your colleagues and let them know they can talk to you and trust you. Be a safe space.
- Document the instances of bullying and harassment you witness.
What HR departments can do-
- Speak up and follow up in writing when leadership asks you to make detrimental HR decisions like firing someone who is on FMLA or who is applying for FMLA.
- Offer solutions when there are employee issues and secure outside mediators for issues beyond the scope of your expertise.
- Ensure clear cut grievance policies and procedures are in place and that all staff know the process for filing them.
- Offer regular employee improvement, leadership, and communications training.
- Educate employees on mental health issues and offer mental health first aid training.
What Boards can do-
- DO NOT IGNORE complaints whether anonymous or signed. Don’t assume an anonymous complaint is not valid. Whistleblowing is scary. People can be afraid of retaliation if they come forward publicly so they will often make an anonymous complaint.
- At the very least, respond to any correspondence that comes your way. Let the person know that their issue is important , and that while you may not know the answer you will help find someone who may be able to help. Be proactive as opposed to dismissive.
- Expand your purpose. Boards can no longer afford to ignore employee relations issues. These issues not only impact the ability of the organization to thrive, but they could literally be matters of life and death.
Continuing on this course could impact boards personally as people may begin to include individual board members in their lawsuits. Once this happens, it will have severe negative consequences on a non-profits ability to recruit and retain qualified board members.
Board members can no longer accept board positions for prestige; they have to come to a board position prepared to work and to be actively involved in the organizations they are charged to oversee.
According to the World Health Organization, more than 700,000 people commit suicide every year. These are epidemic level numbers. There are a complex interplay of factors that contribute to suicide and bullying is one of them.
What you can do for yourself?
If you are being bullied, whether in the workplace, school, or someplace else- know that you are not alone. Unfortunately, there are literally millions of other people who know how you feel. Help is available. Support groups are available. You don’t have to suffer alone.
Find your team of advocates. I stated before that bullying does not occur in a vacuum. There are always others. Find them, share your experiences, document them, and work together to end the bullying. Individuals are easy to ignore, but people are forced to take notice of a group.
Seek legal counsel-the average consultation is $0-$200 depending on where you live. It’s worth every penny to know your options.
Obtain medical and mental health professional care. Self-care is vitally important during this time.
Distance yourself. Take leave. Apply for FMLA. Find another job. Some people can stay and handle whatever comes their way and others cannot. It’s okay to leave. We are all built differently. There is no shame in leaving and you can still fight from afar. Sometimes you have to distance yourself from the bullying to allow yourself time to heal.
To learn more and to find resources to help: visit Stopbullying.gov, or The National Bullying Helpline.
For help with suicidal thoughts or to get immediate assistance with a mental health crisis dial 988.
Remember-There are people who care about you and help is available.
Read more at:
Ending Workplace Bullying Requires All Employees to Step Up
Lena Arnold is an author and anti-bullying advocate.
Stuff Inside My Head 