Forgetting People

"Ok, people," Ella Smith said to her cousin, CFO Greg Stanley of the Multi-million dollar conglomerate Stanley Electronics, and the two female and three male managers. "According to the last five year's reports, we have a problem."

All eyes went to DeSean.

He smiled as if he had just won the Nobel prize. They glared at him, and he held his smile. Ella caught the eye's language, read them, and moved on. "Sandra and Maggie, your production cost has been rising steadily for the past five years. The same for you gentlemen except for DeSean.

"What!" a mixture of voices pushed back.

"I have thirty-one years' experience," Tony, one of the managers, brags.

"And I have twenty-seven years," Clive, the second manager, boasts.

"I have twenty-eight, and Maggie has twenty-six," Sandra made known.

"And he has four," Ella said, pointing at DeSean.

Silence fought the anger raging from the four managers, and Ella interrogates,

"What are you doing that they aren't? Your production cost is almost zero. Yet according to their report, you have all of the difficult and misfit workers of every race."

"They aren't difficult. All of you are," DeSean said, pointing to the four managers.

Ella's eyes widened, but before she could respond, DeSean inquires, "What're the most valuable resources of this company?"

"Our factories and equipment," Greg Stanley answers.

Ella glanced at him in disgust, "You walked right into that one with your two left feet." Turning to DeSean, "Our employees are our most valuable resources."

"This plant is divided into sections. The blacks are headed by one of their own. So are the Spanish, Whites, and Asians," DeSean went on.

"And you are the only one with diversity," Ella quickly said.

"Is that what you call it?" DeSean asked.

"You have another name for it?" someone demands.

"A peacock is a colorful bird. So is a parrot. Are they called diverse birds? Does that include all of the other animals that are multi-colored?"

All eyes held him in position. He went on, "Yes, I have another name for it. My mother calls it unity."

"You are a white boy from a rich neighborhood," Clive challenged. "What do you know about unity?"

"Well, my father, Professor Ickahono, taught me a lot about his struggles."

"Your father is black?" Ella questioned.

DeSean stared at her and said, "he is a human being. A man, a husband, a father, someone's colleague, a brother, and a son. He is someone's uncle, grandson, cousin, nephew, and friend. Then he is black."

"But you don't look black," someone remarked.

"Many animals have a mixture of black and white. What do we call them? My broad nose and thick lips identify your race," he points to Clive. Turning to Tony, he said, "My blond hair, greyish blue eyes, and pale skin tells you I am one of you. Race doesn't have eyes to witness the injustice and destruction we do to each other daily. It doesn't have a heart to feel or understand the pain and hatred we continue to share. It isn't aware that our world is forgetting people. People forget people!"

Silence strangles everyone as eyes bulged out of their sockets, staring back in shock.

"When your great-great-great-grandfather started this company more than one hundred years ago, he looked at his workers and saw human beings, not colors. I have thirty-seven people working under me. I am younger than all of them. Thirty-four of them are the ancestors of the first employees your great-great-great-grandfather hired."

With the shock on their faces, he asks, "None of you knew that?"

Ella and Gregg exchanged glances, and DeSean continued.

"Stanley Electronics stocks has been falling steadily for the past five years. You have been losing millions because you have removed people as your most valuable resource. Humans or people give value to all of our possessions. The dollar, yen, lira, pound, etc., cannot move by themselves. Our finest and most valuable technology needs people to keep it flowing. Our houses, cars, jewelry, and all material possessions have no value without humans. The actions, choices, and decisions of Bill Gates, Jeff Bozos, Elan Musk, and all of the other billionaires and millionaires, their wealth don't give them value. People give them their value. Nothing is valuable without people. My race or color didn't achieve all of what I have. Neither did yours or anyone else. A human did. A person did. People gave Stanley Electronic its value. Go back to putting the value on people."

Silence reached inside and stopped every heart, every movement, and DeSean continued to rage against inhumanity.

"This pandemic has proven that when people stop, our world doesn't. Sadly, the world can do without people. But we can't manage without it."

"Damn!" slid out of Ella's mouth.

DeSean continued adding gasoline to the fire. "Allowing separation among your employees is the first step down. You are running this plant, not the workers. They are the resources, and you are allowing them to use you instead of you using them. The people I work with, I am not their boss. I am their coworker. Their ideas, expertise, and thoughts matters. Gregory, it was his idea to do our labeling. The ones you provide break easily, contributing to waste. Leroy's idea for better packing helps to eliminate waste too. We work as a team. Race, color, ego, personality, and anything that stands in the way of unity and success is removed from our work environment. They aren't misfits or difficult workers. They are humans who believe in humanity, and all humans are equal. Your founder is raging in his grave. Unity gave him wealth and success. Disunity is giving throwing failure your way."

"Didn't I tell you he was going to be a problem," Tony let out.

"He isn't the problem?" Ella said. "He is the solution."

"Then who are the problem?"

"All of you. Gregg," she said, "You too." Turning to DeSean, she grills, "How did you know so much about my family's history?"

"Your great-great-great grandfather's George Stanley's method of success is highly respected. I did his life for my thesis in college. He looks at people and sees people. Our world has changed in the last one hundred years. Race has become too important to some of us. Yet it doesn't stop success for many humans of all races. Why can't we live our lives as humans?"

Professor Ickanono is your father?" Ella quiz.

"Yes. My mother is white. Their love has no color, and they believe that their children are gifts to humanity."

"Who is this professor?" Clive asks.

"He is the famous Rhode Scholar and Psychologist from Havard," someone shared.

"You mean the black guy who says that all of us are mind readers?" Sandra asked.

"Damn!" Tony says. "And he has proven it too."

"So that's why you do a good job?" Ella asked. "You were raised to be an asset."

"No," DeSean said. "I was raised to be human, not an animal."

The people of our world forget many things. The main thing many are forgetting is PEOPLE!

Thank you for reading this piece. I hoped you enjoyed it. Please savor more from som interesting writers on this platform.

https://vocal.media/motivation/you-have-to-let-go-sometimes

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