Corporate Social Responsibility Book Review: Say the Quiet Part Out Loud
By Charlotte Vitak | Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Mission Edge
Each quarter, our Corporate Social Responsibility team here at Mission Edge convenes for a quarterly book club (we call it the Finer Things Club – like the characters from The Office).
One of our books this year was Say the Quiet Part Out Loud by Bina Patel, a local San Diego practitioner and author who does impactful work in the nonprofit sector across the nation.
About the book
“Through coaching, truth-telling, and guided reflections, Say The Quiet Part Out Loud brings its readers to the summit of an anti-racism and anti-oppression journey, allowing them to be seen, challenged, and more liberated in how they show up. This book is a reminder that you don’t need permission to change the world.” (Summary taken from Bina Patel’s website).
My Thoughts on “Say the Quiet Part Out Loud”
This book is unlike most books about best practices in the social impact community. While books of this kind are typically chock full of case studies, examples, and benchmarking, this one feels like a much-needed exhale.
The format of the book reads as a conversation, a meditation, and an invitation to sit and reflect on your own journey as a changemaker. It consists of thoughtfully written reflections, bold questions posed gently, and literal space for you to reflect; there are calls for deep breaths and pages for you to write and draw on to help you process the impactful callouts Bina makes about our industry.
If I had to sum up the thesis of this book it would be: Don’t let the fatigue of fighting the good fight put you out of the game.
Take care of yourself so that you can continue to care for others.
Book Summary
Part 1: Say the Quiet Part Out Loud
The first section of the book focuses on naming the problems that require us to be changemakers, and the challenges they present.
A quote that I love: “To be of service, we must resist the urge to shrink, to let unchecked rage eat us up and turn us into ash.”
Part 2: Rooted in Purpose
The center of the book is a grounding down into why we are called to do this work, and how to sustain ourselves within it.
A quote I love: “Instead of looking for passion or ‘self-care,’ reflecting on purpose helps us stay rooted in our collective service, defining our own meaningful labor and giving us the space to show up again and again.”
Part 3: Onwards, Together
The book ends with an encouragement for us to carry around a bright torch for others to gather around, follow, or hold up high on our varying paths of impact work.
A quote I love: “Our journey to liberation and freedom is interconnected – we must (re)connect with ourselves and each other.”
How our CSR Team Felt About the Book
Say the Quiet Part Out Loud does a beautiful job of empowering your inner changemaker – not by a rallying battle cry, but by a warm call home; a cup of soup to warm your bones so you can get up tomorrow, stand shoulder to shoulder with your team, lean into your strengths and joyfully do the work that is so often painted as exhausting.
The epigraph reads “My labor is my joyful protest.” And the text calls us to embody that statement; to lead this work with love and joy, not dread and gloom. We infuse that purpose into the programs we create and the way we work together.
Thank you, Bina for creating this guidebook to our journey. We can’t wait to revisit again and again to help continue to stay connected to ourselves and each other.
