Am I the “token” at work? : Code Switch : NPR

You’ve heard it before – someone being referred to as a “token.” Like the token Black friend, the token Asian – and tokenism isn’t limited to race or ethnicity, either. You can be the token lesbian, the token Gen Zer, the token hetero bff… you get the idea. Being a token usually means you’re in the minority within a certain group. It’s not inherently a bad thing, but the underlying implication is that you’re holding it down for your people where they wouldn’t otherwise be represented. And that what you represent might be the reason you’re in the group in the first place.

When it comes to being a token in the workplace, it can make you feel like you’re what some people refer to as a “diversity hire.” This week on Ask Code Switch, Robby Strunk, a college student in Alaska, asked what he should do when his co-workers have turned him into “the token Native”.

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“Dear Code Switch,

My name is Robby. I’m from a rural Yupik village in southwestern Alaska with a population of under 800 people. I’ve been listening to Code Switch for about four years now and this series has me thinking of something that’s been heavy on my heart lately, but I’m not sure how to go about it.

I work for a national research lab that involves renewable energy in Alaska. As the only Alaska Native person on staff and one of the few who’ve experienced life in rural Alaska, I was invited to lead tours for visitors of our research lab. I agreed because that’s why I wanted to work there in the first place – to make a positive difference for my community and be a voice for Alaska Native people and rural Alaskans.

But the comms person in charge of the tours came to me with a concern. She had been told by others at work not to tokenize me – not to make me the “token native.” She asked me if I felt tokenized, and at that point I hadn’t, but I very much know the demographics of my coworkers and know that I’m the only Native person in this white dominated science field.

I don’t know what to do. All I know is that I now second guess everything I do at the lab, wondering if I’m working on projects because I am Native or because I’m actually qualified to do the job.

What should I do in this situation? What have people done in the past? Should I report this to HR? Do I go to the people who thought I was being tokenized and ask them face to face?

What would you do when you feel like the token at the workplace?”

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I know I’m not alone when I say I can relate to his experience. I’m sure a lot of us have a story about being young and eager only to later see ourselves, or be seen, as nothing more than a “diversity hire.”

To answer this question for Robby, I wanted to connect with someone very specific – a fellow Alaska Native with a bit more perspective on navigating the white workplace as an indigenous person. I found the person I was looking for in Neetsaii Taa’ąįį, a Senior Scientist at the Center for Alaska Native Health Research at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, a former tribal chief, and a father.

This week, Neetsaii Taa’ąįį shares how the long history of the treatment of Alaska Natives continues to play into power dynamics for people like Robby in the workplace.

Listen to his advice for Robby right now on the Code Switch feed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts!

Do you have a question for Lori and the Code Switch team?
Send us your questions on Instagram @nprcodeswitch, or email us at codeswitch@npr.org.

This episode was written and hosted by Lori Lizarraga. It was produced by Schuyler Swenson, edited by Courtney Stein, fact checked by Barclay Walsh, and engineered by Kwesi Lee.