Better Allies

Image with the message I don’t laugh at disparagement humor. Jokes that make fun of a marginalized group help normalize bias and empower people to discriminate more. There’s a photo of President Trump in the White House with members of the US Olympic Hockey Team who appear to be laughing at something Trump said. Along the bottom of the graphic is the @BetterAllies handle and credit to Daniel Torok for the public domain photo.

Research shows that when someone tells a denigrating joke, it signals that prejudice is acceptable. Then, people who might normally conceal their bias feel freer to express it.

In other words, off-color jokes don’t just reflect discrimination; they help normalize it.

YouTube video by bol International Women's Day 2025

A gem from Women's History Month 2025:

“Have you ever been asked to just smile and look pretty during a meeting? Or how to combine work and private life?”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kpw...

The whiplash continues.

US Government sues companies for not allowing men to access women's events.

US Government thinks Scouting America "should go back to being the Boy Scouts as originally founded, a group that develops boys into men."

Quote from the book Better Allies, chapter 13: "Define or refresh your values. Change starts with each of us as individuals. So, we should ask ourselves: How do we want to operate? (That sentence is highlighted in yellow) How should we treat people? Would we turn down business or investments because of creepy behavior? Would we dismiss our top sales executive after disciplining him for harassment? What are the deals we won't do because they conflict with our values? When will we walk away from cash?" (The last two sentences are also highlighted in yellow)

Thank you Anthropic, for sticking to your values.
As I wrote in my book:

The US government does not have the power to erase historical truths👇

"The Trump administration must temporarily restore displays about slavery at a historic site connected to George Washington after a judge said the government did not have the power to erase historical truths” NYT Daily newsletter

Feels like a good time to share some responses to offensive/disparaging jokes:

- I don’t get it. Can you explain it to me?

- I love a good joke, but that wasn’t funny.

- Did you really just say that?

- Ouch

Don't be a Teflon leader, where problems never stick to you.

Instead, apologize and then do better.

www.tpr.org/news/2026-02...

"The only thing more powerful than hate is love."

Just had to type that lovely message.

Impactivize Shareholder Scorecard™ - 2025-6 Anti-DEI Proposals and Shareholder Voting Results

Shareholders of 33 out of 33 corporations including Apple, American Express, Coca-Cola, have voted overwhelmingly to reject anti-DEI proposals in 2025-6, most by 98-99 percent of voting shares. Shareholder voting scorecard here: www.impactivize.org/2025-shareho...

Why yes, I did in fact watch “Bad Bunny Carpool Karaoke“ twice this weekend.

The #SuperBowl is February 8. Or is it the #SuperbOwl? 🦉 😉

A somewhat regular reminder to please #CapitalizeEachWord in a multi-word hashtag. Doing so helps screen readers identify each word and then say the hashtag correctly. It’s one of the simplest accessibility things we can do.

#A11y

I don’t post racist tropes dehumanizing Black people. Just sayin’

Using AI to Strengthen Workplace Culture—Not Undermine It - HRM Outlook Artificial intelligence is no longer a future concern for HR leaders—it’s a present-day reality. From hiring and performance management to productivity tools and workforce analytics, AI is rapidly res...

When HRM Outlook asked me to contribute an article for their workplace culture edition, I knew exactly what I wanted to write about.

"Using AI to Strengthen Workplace Culture—Not Undermine It"

#AI #BetterAllies #BetterWorkplaces

hrmoutlook.com/using-ai-to-...

Speak Up, Get Loud Newsletter Issue #2 February 4, 2026 Welcome back to our second week of Impactivize’s newly launched newsletter. In this issue, we spotlight why and how companies are recognizing Black History Month, not just as a season...

For Black History Month, “A Century of Black History Commemorations” asks institutions, including workplaces, to examine whose stories they have elevated, whose they’ve erased, and how they will protect Black history amid book bans and attacks on DEI.
www.linkedin.com/pulse/speak-...

Illustration titled Responses to Racist Behavior. There is a spiral notebook page with 4 points. Seek clarity: “Tell me more about _.” Offer an alternative perspective: “Have you ever considered _.” Speak your truth: “I don’t see it the way you do. I see it as _.” Find common ground: “We don’t agree on _ but we can agree on _.” The page has the logo of the National Museum of African American History & Culture. In the lower corners are the better allies logo and a red bubble with betterallies.com.

How often do you think of the perfect response to a racist comment, hours after it happened?

The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) has some suggestions. #BlackHistoryMonth

Black employees are more likely to have their decisions questioned, monitored more closely, & judged more harshly.

When you’re about to question someone’s decision, ask yourself, “Would I apply this same level of scrutiny to someone with a different identity?”

#BlackHistoryMonth

Banner for 5 Ally Actions newsletter. It has the message Better allyship starts here. Each week, Karen Catlin shares five everyday actions to create better workplaces. There's also also an image with the message Care for each other. Check in with coworkers, and listen to how they’re feeling. Let them know It’s okay to not be okay. There’s an illustration of two people apparently chatting with each other online. Along the bottom of the graphic is the @BetterAllies handle and credit to @ninalimpi for the illustration.

I spy with my little eye... a small surge of new subscribers to my newsletter from the Minnesota state government today.

What a nice surprise

My latest edition must have resonated with them
mailchi.mp/e1771ff987e4...

Two days before the start of Black History Month,
four Black journalists are arrested
for doing their job.

This is what fierce, organized love looks like

“May we look at Minnesota as a reflection of where we’ve been and a window into who we can become — a people bound together not by fear, but by a network of care, and shared commitment to life, dignity, and mutual support.”

belonging.berkeley.edu/what-fierce-...

Supporting Employees After Violence Against Their Community “Mega-threats” — defined as incidents that are negative, receive intense media attention, and are intrinsically linked to the victim(s) identities’ (their race, gender, sexuality, immigrant status, et...

Sharing this helpful article

hbr.org/2022/10/supp...

Image with the message Care for each other. Check in with coworkers, and listen to how they’re feeling. Let them know It’s okay to not be okay. There’s an illustration of two people apparently chatting with each other online. Along the bottom of the graphic is the @BetterAllies handle and credit to @ninalimpi for the illustration.

With immigration crackdowns, protests, and violence in the news, many people are scared. For themselves and their families. And many are bringing that fear to work.

Let's all show care for each other. Check in with coworkers. Listen to how they're feeling. Let them know it's ok to not be ok.

Before sharing something on social media, ask yourself: Who is this video (or image) serving? Who could it harm?

Trump administration drops legal appeal over anti-DEI funding threat to schools and colleges The Trump administration is dropping its appeal of a federal court ruling that blocked a campaign against diversity, equity, and inclusion threatening federal funding to the nation’s schools and colle...

Remember the "Dear Colleague" memo the Ed Dept sent telling institutions to stop using race as a factor in admissions, hiring, scholarships, student support?

The one that caused universities to stop all DEI?

It was deemed unlawful. And the govt has dropped their appeal.
apnews.com/article/dei-...

BREAKING: Intuit Shareholders Vote to Defeat Anti-DEI Proposal - Shareholders of software giant Intuit voted today to defeat an anti-DEI proposal, adding to chorus of companies saying DEI is a business imperative. The company, which serves approximately 100 million...

🔥 BREAKING: Shareholders of software giant Intuit vote to reject anti-DEI proposal (tally TBA). Intuit Board calls the proposal's requests "unnecessary and wasteful." Shareholders of 32 out of 32 companies have voted to defeat anti-DEI proposals in 2025-6.

www.impactivize.org/impactivizer...

Photo of a djembe drum in front of a couch, near a fireplace. There’s a large thick book on top of the drum and a tripod for a mobile phone. A bright light illuminates the couch.

Why yes, I pull over a drum and top it with a coffee table book to create a stand for my tripod for filming shorts in my living room.

Doesn’t everyone?

Banner for 5 Ally Actions newsletter. It has the message Better allyship starts here. Each week, Karen Catlin shares five everyday actions to create better workplaces. There's also also an image with the message I look out for DARVO: People who deny their actions, attack the victim, and reverse the victim & offender roles (with the first letters of deny, attack, reverse, victim, and offender underscored to indicate they make up the acronym DARVO). There’s an illustration of a person sitting with crossed legs on the floor holding a laptop, pointing at someone in a way that evokes they’re denying an accusation. Along the bottom of the graphic is the @BetterAllies handle and credit to @ninalimpi for the illustration.

Missed my newsletter last week? It's not too late.

From DARVO to AI-driven digital blackface to myths about “reverse discrimination,” I unpack the patterns shaping our workplaces. And give you steps to take to create the kind of workplace you want (and others need).

mailchi.mp/d944db6961b8...

Regrettably, I'm about to decline an invitation to be on a podcast.
Why? The host doesn't provide transcripts.
And I want a transcript for accessibility.
🙁

#A11y #Inclusion

When DARVO surfaces, we face a choice: Stay silent, or disrupt it and stop the manipulation.

Dr Jennifer Freyd coined DARVO, which stands for Deny the harmful behavior, Attack the person raising the concern, and Reverse the roles of Victim and Offender, painting themselves as the injured party.

YouTube video by Better Allies Why I Wrote Better Allies

Why I do what I do. (A short video)
youtube.com/shorts/2mQSb...