Mandisa Thomas on Black Nonbelievers, Inc.
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): Medium (Personal)
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2018/05/02
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: You have extensive experience in hospitality and building the organization Black Nonbelievers, Inc. It is a 501(c)3. So, if you people want to donate or help out in some way, they can bear that in mind.
That it is a charitable organization. That you would be helping. When it comes to the hospitality industry, there are dos. There are don’ts. What are the dos? What are the don’ts?
Mandisa Thomas: Yes, thank you very much, some of the dos are to try to be welcoming. This has often been a huge ask or a huge question and a huge problem that many other atheist organizations have when it comes to diversity.
How can they attract more women, how they attract more people of color, how they attract more children, it is important to establish some ground rules about to attract and be friendly to others.
It is important not necessarily to simply bombard, especially the new members, with a bunch of questions. One thing I do when I present at events is that I tell organizers and members to engage but also gauge.
Try to be mindful of how you may be coming off to potential new members as well as recurring members, do mind your body language, do just try to ask questions, try not to get too personal with people, set that friendly and welcoming atmosphere, making sure members know what they should and shouldn’t do to new people, setting and managing that process is very, very important.
I would say a good thing. One good thing I do is watch people’s engagement on a personal level. There are a lot of people who talk about certain issues when they’re on a stage or on the online medium.
But when it comes to how they engage people on a personal level or private interaction, it is different. One good rule, I would advise: be punctual, please be on time. Tardiness is something I despise.
I try to make that a general rule: be on time, be consistent as far as your treatment of everyone, don’t treat someone who is just new as different from someone of the community. That is the basis of customer service and hospitality.
The person who sweeps the floor should be treated the same as the CEO. That is something that I think that we could learn from in this community.
Jacobsen: We have new technologies. That we did not have before for the building of community. So, that can leave a lot more questions about what is appropriate and what is inappropriate in terms of the use of those technologies to advance a movement.
For instance, you can use a hashtag, but that can be hijacked by people who want to denigrate, harass, and so on, people trying to build that movement. That is one particular example, but there are various ways not necessarily hijacked but misused to undermine a movement.
What are some of the things people can be mindful of when they are using these new technologies to build the movements?
Thomas: One thing is to do research such as on an engine and its efficacy as well as being well-informed of the history of said hashtag. Do research on who is using it and why it is being used.
Also, try to gauge, not everything is meant for public consumption. As inclusive as we try to be, it is still important to manage the process as to who we are engaging. If you see someone who is in your group who isn’t properly using said medium, you can certainly bring it to their attention or bring it to the attention of the administrator, the leader, or the organizer, we can certainly discuss it.
If it requires removal or dismissing the person who is using it improperly, then it is good to implement that.
Jacobsen: This interview is completely open. What are some controversial areas of public engagement?
Thomas: In the #MeToo movement, for example, how we are engaging women, how women are engaging the opposite sex in terms of harassment and assault, one good thing or one important aspect is to listen.
If people are telling you that something is making them uncomfortable, you need to listen to them. If someone is telling you that perhaps what you are doing could be different, it is good to take that into perspective and listen to the person or persons.
Evaluate or re-evaluate the norms that have been placed upon us about the roles of men and women as well as the rules of engagement, make sure that you are asking questions, “Is this okay? Is that okay?”
It is important to engage body language as well as what people are saying. I think some people just aren’t listening. People are talking to get their point across and not necessarily understanding the other party.
We could get a lot further when people start engaging to work towards a solution and not just to respond and argue. We see a lot of that in the online area. We argue all day long. But then there are certain people who aren’t even willing to listen and understand.
Jacobsen: Right. Thank you for the opportunity and your time, Mandisa.
Thomas: No problem! Thank you.
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