By Jack Cumming

Look up “Sankofa,” and you’ll discover that “it signifies the importance of learning from the past to build a better future.” For Raymond A. Jetson, in his just-published book, “Aging While Black,” it means “Go back and fetch it.” Like senior living’s Marvell Adams, Mr. Jetson is leading a movement to bring justice in aging for those like him in our (still) racially sensitive America.

Insidious Bias

Many Americans do not think they discriminate. Worse is to obsess over feelings of having been discriminated against. A person may believe that he or she was qualified for a promotion that went to someone else. There are a number of ways to react. One is to say that the other person was advanced not on merit but for politically correct reasons. That avoids responsibility, but it also perpetuates bias. Leadership begins with the acceptance of responsibility.

Another reaction is to leave for another company to demonstrate that you were the better choice. Lee Iacocca famously took this path. A third way is to put your head down and work hard to help the person promoted over you succeed. Paradoxically, not only is that maturity best for the enterprise, but it is also the path most likely to open opportunities for you.

It does no good to blame unjust discrimination. You may be overestimating your prowess while unconsciously defeating the likelihood of your own success. Entitlement doesn’t work well. It’s hard to see yourself as others see you. Just as forgiveness frees the soul, so acceptance unlocks endeavor.

Is Racial Discrimination Different?

A few years ago, a woman moved from New York into the CCRC where I live. Since I consider myself a New Yorker, we became friends. As far as I can tell, the new resident was the first Black resident in our CCRC. She told me that before she moved in, her friends cautioned her, “Look at the pictures of the place. Do you see anyone there who looks like us?” Suddenly, I saw the world through new eyes.

Since then, a very accomplished couple who also happen to be Black have joined us. Look across the country, and you see a similar pattern. This circumstance of only a handful of people of color may not be an intentional pattern, but it appears to be the de facto reality. I’ve heard at least one person say, “Blacks take care of their own. They don’t place them in corporate facilities.”

Is Our Nation Two Societies?

The 1968 Kerner Commission concluded, “Our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white — separate and unequal.” Is that still true today? More pertinently, is that true for CCRCs? To be Black and to move into an all-white community takes courage. If you are the first, it’s impossible not to be conspicuous. For many of your fellow residents, you may be the first Black person they’ve ever known.

There are many forms of bias. Almost all not-for-profit, market-priced CCRCs discriminate against people who lack socioeconomic wealth. I was struck by this recently while watching a Brown University video. Like many CCRCs, Brown is also not-for-profit. Brown proudly heralded, “If Brown is right for you, we’ll help you get here.”

The video went on to describe financial aid. While a condition of CCRCs’ not-for-profit status is that they maintain residents whose funds run out, it’s beyond rare for a not-for-profit CCRC to provide entry assistance. Imagine a not-for-profit heralding, “If our CCRC is right for you, we’ll help you join us.”

Fair Qualification Processes

Perceptions of bias infect the workforce as well as the resident community. The industry is committed to changing that. One place to start is in the educational process by which people gain the complexity and range of knowledge that is desirable for leadership in senior living.

My own qualification as an actuary required demonstration of mastery of material, including ethics, values, and integrity, by a series of examinations. The curriculum involved self-learning. A clever use of candidate numbers avoided all identifying information on examination essay responses.

Imagine if all senior living aspirants, regardless of race, color, national origin, or any other discriminating characteristic, could demonstrate their talent and mastery in a way that was beyond reproach or bias. People of achievement would be judged solely by the value of their accomplishments.

A Place of Belonging

That brings us back to the challenge to make CCRCs a welcoming home for all people. Many forms of discrimination drive resident cliques in CCRCs. Although people of color are generally welcomed as individuals, the bulk of the residents in most CCRCs have European ancestry.

What seems to be missing is an affinity group like those that have brought the CCRC industry to where it is today. There have been many affinity CCRCs — Presbyterians, Methodists, teachers, Masons, Japanese, etc.—  but I know of no CCRC dedicated to Blacks or with a preponderance of Blacks.

Let’s Up the Effort

Recently, there has been considerable effort, discussion, and action taken toward making CCRCs more welcoming for those who are LGBTQ+. For reasons that are hard to discern, the effort is less clear for those who identify as Black. Can we make “aging while black” no different than is aging for all?

“Sankofa” can mean that it’s time to go back in time and correct the present so the past doesn’t infect our future. The universal teaching is love of God and neighbor. Can we make that teaching the senior living reality?