On "doing the work"

Do the work.

In certain circles, that phrase has gone viral.

In their speeches at the Democratic National Convention last week, Kamala Harris and Barack Obama talked about doing the work to repair our nation.

At Black Lives Matter rallies, advocates call for their fellows to do the work. Diversity officers on college campuses implore students and faculty to do the work. And writers of race books conclude their NPR interviews with the three-word call to action. Do the work.

It’s also what therapists and self-help gurus and personal trainers have been telling their well-meaning but slothful clients—for decades now. For any future good to come of the present mess we’re in, we have to do the work.

Okay. We get it. Or do we?

Work ethic has never been my problem. But even I have grown weary of the phrase.

Whether doing the work means changing racist policies, or staying married when we’re miserable, work implies a heavy lift. Work means it will be hard to find common ground. Work implies it will take a long time to see progress.

But what exactly is the work?

Are we clear enough about what’s being asked of us?

One thing is for sure: If the work is so hard—so huge—then we probably have to break it down. Into baby steps: One act. One thought. One graceful micro gesture at a time.

And first, we have to listen. Because that, too, is work.

In her 2018 bestseller So You want to Talk About Race, Ijeoma Oluo wrote: It is easy to think the problem of racial oppression in this country is just too big. How can we be expected to dismantle a complex system that has been functioning for over 400 years? My answer is, piece by piece.

And then she outlined a few of those pieces. I paraphrase:

Vote local. Demand that local candidates make social justice a priority, and that they support increasing the minimum wage, police reform, and racial equity in schools.

Bear witness. Be a watchful presence, and speak up when someone of color is being treated unfairly (and when it is safe to do so).

Spend justly. Support businesses owned by people of color. Give what you can to groups that support racial justice. And demand diversity and equity from the colleges that receive your tuition dollars.

Oluo says: We need to act and talk and learn and fight—all at the same time. We need to talk and act and fuck up and learn some more.

So, my friends. It’s pretty darn clear. We have work to do.

We won’t necessarily get it right the first time. We may never finish. And we might not see progress right away.

This blog post isn’t perfect. But I’ve said something and I’ve done something. And I guess it’s close enough.

So now, my friends, I’ve got to go.

I’ve got work to do.