Kendrick Lamar, "diversity holidays," and virgin plastic ♳🧴

News and notes at the intersection of business and feminism

A sign of successful art is when people are still discussing it days later. By that measure, Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show was a hit (objectively it was a smash, too, as it was the most-watched ever).

People continue to discuss the layered meaning of the performance, which included a U.S. flag made up of Black men, Samuel L. Jackson as Uncle Sam, and a cameo from Serena Williams.

While much of the discourse is praise for the show’s poignancy, there has also been derision (largely from white and conservative viewers). These naysayers felt the performance alienated those who don’t like rap, that Lamar doesn’t have the name recognition of past performers, that it wasn’t diverse (ie, the performance only featured Black people), and even that people couldn’t understand his “mumbling.”

In truth, most of the complaints we’ve seen point to their discomfort with the fact that Lamar didn’t center nor cater to white people. The performance was unapologetically for, by, and about Black people. White Americans are uncomfortable and sometimes angry, when placed on the outside of the ‘who get’s centered?’ conversation.

“If you're someone who hates things unless you immediately understand them, try toughening up a little and not asking for so many handouts,” says Meredith Holley. “You can do hard things sometimes, too, boo. There are lots of people out there explaining it.”

In short, rather than getting angry, defensive, or judgmental when you have a reaction (especially about not being catered to), get curious and interrogate your assumptions.

Meanwhile, Faith, in her socials, reminded herself and others with multiple overlapping marginalized identities:

“Don’t answer questions that people aren’t asking. Instead, hope that they ask better questions.”

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Now onto today’s roundup…

• We wish it weren’t true, but the new administration is, in fact, threatening to sue private businesses that “do DEI” (however they define it). Scary times, indeed.

• One company after another is obeying in advance and scrapping DEI plans, including behemoth Google, which also just removed “diversity holidays” from its products and changed Gulf of Mexico go “Gulf of America” on its maps.

• The State of the Nation survey reveals that U.S. is wealthier, but also less happy by multiple measures (ie, money is separate from wellbeing). Let the study serve as a call to create an integrated, whole-human way of being says yes to both money and your humanity.

• Trust us on this: If you must lay off employees, don’t use CEO Bernard Arnault’s corporate speak and call it being ‘promoted outwards’. Gross 🤮

• What happens when, as Mark Zuckerberg recently said, workplaces get more ‘masculine energy’? Just listen to his own former employee, who is suing for a toxic pattern of silencing women at Meta.

• AI is plagued by ethical questions, including bias, which is why we need more women in AI (they currently make up less than 18% of AI researchers globally).

• Think you have what it takes to run TED? The non-profit is taking an unusual approach to finding its next leader, by opening the search up to the public. Read up on what the organization is looking for in its next steward, and then throw your hat in the ring by emailing nextchapter@ted.com.

• Award-winning Queer News is a weekly podcast (new episodes drop every Monday at 7 am Central) where race and sexuality meet politics, culture, and entertainment. The show is hosted by the brilliant Anna DeShawn, and is a member of Becky’s Feminist Podcasters Collective.

• Paid community members can check out this week’s private podcast feed for a behind-the-scenes conversation about how Faith & Becky are handling the stress of the current climate. Sneak peek 👇

Upgrade for just $10 to get access to the full conversation (and all private podcast episodes). Plus, join us for our monthly Society calls—the next is on Feb. 25th.

We couldn’t be more excited to learn about MacroCycle Technologies, a biotech startup that offers an emission-free way to recycle plastics. Its patented method of upcycling bottles etc. into “virgin-grade” plastic could dramatically increase the amount of plastic recycled (currently only 15% of all plastics are recycled). They just received a sizable investment to help them scale—and, we hope, spare landfills and help the ozone. And that’s a damn good thing since we may have already eclipsed the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C climate warming warning.

We’ve been taught that facilitation means taking the lead, sharing knowledge, and guiding discussions from a position of authority. But what if this very approach is holding us back from real transformation?

The ‘sage on the stage’ model often creates environments where only a few voices are heard, power dynamics are reinforced, and participants struggle to integrate learning into their real-world experiences. As a result, organizations, teams, and communities miss out on the collective wisdom that arises when everyone feels valued and engaged.

If you want to create learning and workspaces where innovation flourishes and every person feels genuine ownership over outcomes, join me for Facilitating for (Real) Change, a workshop designed for coaches, consultants, educators, and trainers who want to elevate their facilitation. This isn’t about tweaking a few techniques — it’s about reimagining how we guide, support, and inspire the people we work with.

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Thank you for being a subscriber. Don’t forget to Share the Love by telling your biz besties about Feminist Founders (it’s nearly Valentine’s Day … what a perfect time!).

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Yours in solidarity,
Becky & Faith

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