DEI After 5 with Sacha

When people hear the word resistance, they often picture protests, marches, signs, and public acts of defiance.

And yes, those things matter.

But that is not the only way resistance shows up.

That is one of the biggest takeaways from this part of the conversation with Dr. Janice Gassam Asare. Too often, people count themselves out because they assume resistance only “counts” if it is public, bold, or visible. They think if they are not on the front lines, they are not doing enough.

That kind of thinking leaves too many people disconnected from their own power.

The truth is, resistance can look like a lot of things. It can be loud, but it can also be quiet. It can be public, but it can also happen behind the scenes. It can happen in the streets, but it can also happen in your workplace, in your community, in your choices, and in the way you use whatever access, privilege, or resources you have.

That matters, especially now.

Because in moments like this, people need more than one narrow definition of action. They need room to show up in ways that are sustainable, honest, and grounded in what is actually possible for them.

Resistance is bigger than protest

Protest is one form of resistance. It is not the only form.

Some people cannot safely protest. Some do not have the physical ability. Some are caregiving, working multiple jobs, protecting their immigration status, navigating chronic illness, or trying to survive in workplaces where the consequences of speaking too loudly are very real.

That does not mean they are uninvolved. It does not mean they do not care. And it definitely does not mean they have nothing to contribute.

One of the most important things we can do is expand how we think about resistance.

Resistance can look like writing. It can look like cooking. It can look like opening your business to support people who are doing hard work in the community. It can look like making calls, giving rides, sharing information, offering resources, funding efforts, checking in on people, or creating safe spaces for others to regroup and keep going.

Sometimes resistance is less about visibility and more about usefulness.

And honestly, we need both.

Allyship means using what you have

This is where allyship and privilege come into the conversation in a real way.

A lot of people think allyship begins and ends with agreement. But agreement is not the same thing as action.

Allyship shows up in what you do with what you have.

That might be your voice.That might be your network.That might be your money.That might be your role in an organization.That might be your access to rooms, relationships, information, or decision-makers that other people do not have.

Privilege is not just something to acknowledge. It is something to leverage responsibly.

If you have the ability to make something easier, safer, or more possible for someone else, that matters. If you can create cover, open a door, share a resource, or challenge a harmful pattern without taking the same level of risk someone else would take, that matters too.

That is part of resistance.

Not performative support. Not vague solidarity. Actual action.

Workplace resistance is still resistance

This part feels especially important because so many people are trying to figure out what action looks like when they are inside organizations that feel risky, punishing, or politically tense.

And the answer is: workplace action still counts.

In fact, for many people, the workplace is one of the main places where resistance has to happen.

That might look like documenting harm instead of letting it get smoothed over.It might look like refusing to participate in something you know is harmful.It might look like asking better questions in meetings.It might look like protecting a colleague from being isolated.It might look like mentoring someone, amplifying someone’s contribution, or speaking up when a decision is about to create harm.

It may not get called activism.But let’s be honest — that does not make it any less important.

A lot of workplace resistance happens in small moments. In the pause before you let something slide. In the decision to say, “No, that’s not okay.” In the choice to use your role, your credibility, or your access to interrupt harm instead of silently benefiting from it.

That matters more than people think.

Sometimes resistance looks like leaving

This is the part people do not always want to talk about.

Sometimes the act of resistance is not staying and fighting from the inside.

Sometimes it is leaving.

Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is remove yourself from a place that is harming you, diminishing you, or asking you to betray yourself just to survive. Strategic exits are real. And for some people, leaving is not giving up. It is choosing not to keep paying for someone else’s dysfunction with your health, peace, or sense of self.

Now, of course, leaving is not always simple.

The ability to walk away is shaped by money, caregiving, immigration status, healthcare, and all the other realities that make “just leave” a deeply incomplete answer for many people.

But even then, resistance can still show up in how someone prepares. In how they document what is happening. In how they build their next step. In how they use the time they have left to gather what they need, protect themselves, and move with intention.

Sometimes resistance is about changing the environment.Sometimes it is about refusing to let the environment keep changing you.

Rest is not quitting

We also need to talk about rest.

Because too many people have been taught that if they are not constantly producing, reacting, showing up, speaking out, and carrying the weight of what is happening, they are somehow falling short.

That is a lie.

Rest is not disengagement.Rest is not apathy.Rest is not weakness.

Rest can be a form of resistance, especially in a culture that treats exhaustion like proof of commitment and burnout like a badge of honor. Choosing to rest in a world that expects constant output is not small. It is a refusal. It is a refusal to let harmful systems consume all of you.

And frankly, many people need permission to hear that.

You do not have to run yourself into the ground to prove you care.You do not have to be publicly struggling for your contribution to count.You do not have to always be on in order to still be part of the work.

Rest helps people stay clear.Rest helps people stay well.Rest helps people stay in the fight longer.

That is not separate from resistance. That is part of it.

Small acts are not small when they build momentum

One of the things I appreciate most about this conversation is the reminder that not every act of resistance has to be dramatic to matter.

Some of the most meaningful actions are the ones that would never make a headline.

A conversation.A correction.A favor.A redirect.A ride.A meal.A check-in.A resource shared at the right time.A moment of cover.A decision to say something when silence would be easier.

These things can look small in isolation. But when enough people do them, they build something bigger than any one act.

That is how momentum grows.

And that matters because many people are overwhelmed right now. They are watching what is happening around them and wondering what their role is. They are looking at the scale of the problem and assuming anything they do will be too minor to count.

But that is not how change works.

Change is often built through accumulation. Through consistency. Through people doing what they can, where they can, with what they have.

That does not make the work less important.It makes it more accessible.And that is exactly the point.

You do not have to do everything, but you do need to do something

That may be the clearest invitation in all of this.

You do not have to protest if protesting is not possible for you.You do not have to choose the most visible form of action for your contribution to matter.You do not have to perform resistance in a way that makes other people comfortable or impressed.

But you do need to decide what your role is.

What can you offer?What can you interrupt?What can you support?What can you refuse?What can you share?What can you risk?What can you protect?

Resistance is not one-size-fits-all. But it does ask something of us.

And in this moment, that may look like allyship with action.It may look like using privilege with intention.It may look like workplace choices that protect people instead of preserving harm.It may look like rest.It may look like leaving.It may look like one small act that helps someone else keep going.

All of that counts.

Final thoughts

We need a wider understanding of resistance.

Not because protest no longer matters, but because people need to know there are more ways to show up than the ones they have been taught to recognize.

Resistance can be public.Resistance can be quiet.Resistance can be strategic.Resistance can be collective.Resistance can be deeply personal.

And sometimes, the people doing the most meaningful work are not the ones with the microphone. They are the ones using what they have, where they are, in ways that help move other people closer to safety, dignity, and justice.

That is resistance too.

And we would do well to stop overlooking it.

If you’re trying to push for workplace equity in a climate of backlash, this episode is for you. Sacha Thompson is joined by Dr. Janice Gassam Asare—organizational psychologist and author of Rise and Resist—to talk about what resistance looks like now, including the quieter, behind-the-scenes moves that actually shift systems.

Dr. Janice connects today’s workplace dynamics to the long legacy of Black resistance—and shares how we can challenge the status quo, navigate organizational pushback, and keep doing meaningful work even when public-facing DEI efforts are being questioned or rolled back.

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We reflect on the post–George Floyd corporate response cycle, the pushback from Black employees asking for genuine action (not optics), and what “accountability” actually looks like inside organizations. We also discuss how schools and institutions have responded to pressure around DEI programming, and how leaders can think through culture-building efforts while being mindful of risk.

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We also share a powerful moment from a community town hall: a resident naming the disconnect between a police department’s mission to “protect and serve” and the lived reality of their actions. It’s a clear example of what happens when values are stated, but not embodied—and why the loss of trust is rational.

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In this episode, we dive into the critical relationship between employee experience and customer experience within the hospitality industry and beyond. Our host, Sacha Thompson and this week's guest, Calvin Stovall discuss the importance of inclusion, emphasizing that erasure and exclusion can significantly impact both employees and customers. The conversation highlights that your employees are also your customers, and a positive employee experience is essential for delivering exceptional customer service.

Calvin shares a powerful quote: "There is no positive customer experience until you have a positive employee experience first," underscoring the need for organizations to prioritize their teams.

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