For years I’ve watched organizations applaud civility while avoiding the deeper questions:

Whose comfort does this civility protect?
What truths get silenced in the name of professionalism?
And how much brilliance, honesty, and human potential get lost when authenticity is mistaken for disruption?

This presentation grew out of those questions and the research I completed for my M.S. in Applied Psychology at USC this past year and half, while living through……well….if you’re reading this, then you know what we have been living through.

It weaves together organizational science, Optimal Psychology, and the lived realities of Black professionals navigating spaces that ask us to perform belonging instead of experiencing it.

Honestly, my favorite part about this process has been that I got to have these much needed conversations and I think you’ll find the revelation at the 35-minute mark to be particularly affirming and powerful about us as a people.

Why This Matters Now

We are living in a moment when “diversity fatigue” and a return to blatant and unapologetic racism and erasure are real.

My research asked:

How are Black professionals experiencing and responding to DEI retrenchment in the current political climate, and what strategies and values guide their decisions about belonging, authenticity, and career direction?
How do Black employees assess the authenticity of their organization’s DEI efforts, and what factors indicate genuine commitment versus performative initiatives?
How do changes in DEI policies and practices influence Black employees’ sense of belonging, psychological safety, and their decision to stay, leave, or advocate for change?
What workplace characteristics and employer commitments attract Black professionals seeking environments that support their career values and long-term success?

The findings revealed something both sobering and liberating:

“Civility”, as it’s commonly performed, has become a management strategy. It allows organizations to appear progressive without changing power. Yet the same concept, re-examined through an Optimal lens, can become a tool for collective healing — if we are willing to tell the truth about what we’ve normalized.

A Few Takeaways

Civility without conscience reinforces hierarchy; it is often a symptom of fear.
Authenticity without structure can burn people out; courage must be resourced.
Optimal alignment — between values, voice, and systems — is what turns culture change from aspiration into practice.

For Those Who Feel Seen by This

If this conversation resonates, I’d love for you to:

Reflect on what civility has meant in your own career or community.

Leave a comment

Share this article with someone who curates or shapes culture where they work.

Share

And if you’d like to bring this dialogue into your organization or learning space, you can connect with me.

Schedule Time with Me

When we reclaim our full voice, we stop surviving our workplaces and start transforming them.

Thank you for being part of this work.

Cheyennis Doom, M.S.

Consulting & Optimal Psychologist

View my Portfolio

The Performance of Civility: Exiting Stage Left