Ask ReproJobs: How do I explain interning at a problematic organization?

Dear ReproJobs,

I previously interned at a repro movement org that has now come under fire for racism, and deservedly so. I wasn't made aware of any of these allegations until the week my internship ended. I'm feeling very betrayed and don't know what to do. Do I still include this organization on my résumé? It's the only repro experience I have, but I don't condone their actions and am not proud to have worked there after what happened.

— Revising My Résumé

Dear Revising My Résumé,

We can understand why this feels extremely complicated—you’re worried that the reputation of the organization will reflect poorly on you, your values, and your work to future employers. But, we think you can keep the internship listed on your résumé. Most people understand that internships can be hard to come by, interns may work at organizations that may not hold the exact same political values that they personally do, and that our social justice values deepen over time. The reality is that no future employer would actually hold a temporary intern responsible for the entire culture of an entire organization. Racism and other oppressive -isms in a workplace show up due to organizational leadership and a long-standing fucked up culture, and it is not an individual intern’s problem to solve. You interned there, and you should be able to speak to your work and feel proud of everything that you accomplished. You may, however, want to think about if you were complicit in any instances of racism or other -isms, and what you can do to change your behavior to create an anti-racist workplace. If you didn’t notice the racist or anti-Black culture while you were there, you might want to do some internal work to figure out why you missed it, educate yourself about the privileges you have that are keeping you from seeing it, and how you may have contributed to the passive culture. You may want to be prepared to answer questions about what you learned from that experience, what you’d like to see in a workplace, and how you will show up to end racism, white privilege, and anti-Blackness in a workplace. In short, keep it on your résumé and take this opportunity to reflect and grow as a leader and anti-racist co-worker.

Love,

ReproJobs