Anchored in Bias, Fired Over "White Tears"

Book excerpt: In this timely book, journalist Lisa Benson shares her journey from the newsroom to the courtroom in her fight for justice at a local television station. Lisa made national news when her twenty-year career as a news reporter / anchor ended abruptly after she shared an article on her personal Facebook page entitled, "How White Women Use Strategic Tears to Avoid Accountability" written by fellow journalist Ruby Hamad—an article that offended two of her white female coworkers, which ultimately got her fired. After being terminated for sharing TheGuardian.com article, Lisa committed herself to understanding racism, unconscious biases, institutionalized racism, and how those issues factored into her stagnant career and job loss. In this book, courtroom testimony, along with exhibits, prove that the employer expected to support Lisa's career goals only wanted to harness and control her labor while silencing her voice. Guilty of racial ignorance, Lisa foolishly believed that if she worked hard, played by the rules, and people liked her, she could avoid the racial pitfalls that swallowed the dreams of her forefathers and condemned others to a life of criminalization, poverty, and shame. She was wrong. Lisa's book is a powerful, transparent look at the racism, systemic racism, and the anti-blackness that exists in cities, neighborhoods, and newsrooms throughout the United States. "Hi Lisa, I am so sorry to hear of this ordeal - I can only imagine the impact. I am glad you have turned to anti-racist education, and I hope my work has been/can be helpful to you. But for what it is worth - on behalf of my fellow white people, I apologize." -Robin DiAngelo, author of White Fragility Lisa Benson is a diversity, inclusion and anti-racism consultant, speaker, author and Emmy-award winning journalist. She has helped countless people understand unconsious biases and systemic racism. Lisa wants her knowledge and first-hand experiences to help others navigate systems, institutions and organizations when it comes to race and institutionalized racism.