The Token: Common Sense Ideas for Increasing Diversity in Your Organization

by Crystal Byrd Farmer

Meet the new Black friend you never had As a Black organizer, community, business, and organization leaders often "How do I get diversity in my group?" The thing is, the work is real, but it's a minefield out there. And even progressive leaders can still, perhaps unknowingly, be racist and uphold oppressive systems. In The Token , your new token Black friend, Crystal Byrd Farmer, acts as the bridge between majority white organizations that are dedicated to social justice and "diverse" people in community they want to recruit, across identities of race, LGBTQ, education, socioeconomic status, and disability. With a blunt style that pulls no punches, Crystal tells you how it is, calling you out on tokenism, while extending a hand to help your organization make real transformative change toward diversity and inclusion. Coverage This no-nonsense, provocative, humorous, and accessible guide is for all well-meaning people leading progressive organizations who acknowledge the need for diversity but don't know where to start. AWARDS

Genres: Social Justice, Nonfiction

112 pages, Paperback

Published October 13, 2020

Reviews

[Shirleynature · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you, Crystal Byrd Farmer for this excellent & pragmatic wisdom on building relationships across different cultural groups!
I listened to the audiobook and was inspired to order a print copy from my local bookstore and recommended my fellow board member allies also check this out!

[Weekend Reader_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is really practical and I think would be good for organizing diversity education workshops. Be mindful there's info about sex positivity which could be uncomfortable in a work environments but could be beneficial to discuss people's multiple identities.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the Audiobook, which I had access to before publication. This is a short book with many great points and ideas about how to create diversity within your organization. But beyond that, the ideas from the book also can help people who are struggling with realizing that even if you are not racist our systems are racist and are built to benefit a few.

There are worksheets at the end of each section, which I found very interesting. This is a great book, especially with the current shift in understand of how our society benefits those who look a certain way.

[Karissa Krapf · Rating 5 out of 5]

I so appreciate this book - the straightforward writing style, humor, direct addressing of the most important things to know going into diversity Work. Easy to read but with lots of very hard hitting takeaways that encourage self-reflection, growth, and movement. And unlike most other books like this, The Token gives you work you can do in groups to know how to approach this, explore values and biases, and create a better organization and world. Thank you Crystal for doing this important and hard work.

[Ampersand Inc. · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, The Token will help those in the business world to revisit their hiring practices. The title refers to the “token” person on staff and this slim volume is an excellent how-to kind of book: how to bring diversity into your business or organization. The text is short and simple with practical advice. The book is divided into two parts and each section ends with discussion questions.

[Kato Cooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully well-written with concrete exemplars for those with a genuine interest in diversity, equity, and inclusion. It is, in its entirety, digestible, pragmatic, and insightful.