302: Becoming Trustworthy: Race and Solidarity at Work with Karen Fleshman

Karen Fleshman joins Punk Rock HR to talk about race, power, and the uncomfortable yet necessary work white women must do to build trust across differences. As the founder of the Interracial Sisterhood Coalition, Karen works with white women who are past the beginner stage of anti-racism and ready to examine how conditioning, proximity to power, and workplace dynamics reinforce racial hierarchy.

This conversation moves beyond theory. It explores accountability, institutional protection, intergenerational trauma, and what it actually takes to build solidarity in today’s workplace.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

Why Karen shifted from preparing young people of color for corporate America to preparing workplaces for them

What the “messy middle” of anti-racism work looks like

How white women’s proximity to power shapes HR and leadership roles

The tension between protecting institutions and protecting people

Why Karen prefers solidarity over performative allyship

How intergenerational trauma influences workplace behavior

What it takes to build trust across racial differences