What Sinners Teaches Us About White Supremacy Culture in the Workplace

If you haven’t already seen Sinners, leave this tab open, hit your nearest theatre, then come back. Spoilers lie ahead!

Ryan Coogler’s latest blockbuster starring Michael B. Jordan, Wunmi Mosaku, Delroy Lindo, and more is a masterclass in storytelling and Black culture.

There’s no shortage of symbolism to unpack from the film. I watched it with an eye toward what it means for women of color, DEI, and dismantling anti-Blackness and White Supremacy Culture in the workplace. It may seem like a leap, but the same systems and beliefs we’re up against today are just modern expressions of those present in 1932—the era Sinners is set in.

Many came to the film for the vampires and gore, but if open to it, left with a deepened understanding of the evils that White Supremacy Culture inflicts on Black and Brown folks. When twins Smoke and Stack (both played by Michael B. Jordan) buy an old mill to turn into a juke joint, they make it clear the Klan is never to set foot there. But the seller’s plans are more insidious—he runs them out not with white hoods and burning crosses, but with soul-sucking vampires.

When the vampires first appear, Smoke, Stack, and their crew guarding the juke joint can feel something’s off. But vampires can’t enter unless invited. It’s Mary (played by Hailee Steinfeld) convincing Cornbread (Omar Benson Miller) to let her in that allows them to officially invade.

That moment hit home. White Supremacy Culture often enters spaces that seem safe—diverse, progressive, “different”—through small compromises or unchecked moments. It doesn’t always march in the front door wearing a robe. Sometimes it shows up in a smile, a loophole, or someone being “nice but not anti-racist.”

I see this in organizations all the time. A clear violation of values happens and leadership is confused—How could this happen here? But Sinners reminds us: it happens because it’s allowed.

Hostile coworkers climb the ladder because someone excuses them.

Toxic execs stay in power because a board chooses to look away.

Harmful workplace culture isn’t random—it’s built and protected.

So what do you do when you find yourself in a workplace suddenly infiltrated by the tenets of White Supremacy Culture?

You Resist

When the vampires surround the juke joint, Annie acts fast to arm those inside. She doesn’t wait for a hero—she becomes one. That’s what resistance looks like in real life too: collective, strategic, often quiet.

Resistance isn’t always dramatic. Sometimes it’s making space for hard conversations. Sometimes it’s refusing to code-switch in rooms not built with you in mind. Sometimes it’s advocating for someone when no one else will. And sometimes, it’s leaving and building something freer.

You Reclaim Power

One of the most haunting parts of Sinners is realizing the vampires don’t just feed—they take ownership. They want the culture, the soul, the brilliance that Black folks built. That’s White Supremacy Culture, too. It doesn’t just oppress—it steals, dilutes, and repackages resistance to serve itself.

Reclaiming power means refusing performative DEI work that prioritizes optics over people. It means empowering the most marginalized to shape—not just advise—the future of an organization. It means choosing depth over diversity statements, healing over headlines.

You Remember Who You Are

What kept the juke joint alive wasn’t just strategy—it was music. It was joy. It was community. Even in chaos, they held each other, laughed, and honored life.

In dismantling White Supremacy Culture, don’t forget what gives you life. Rest is resistance. Joy is resistance. Boundaries, laughter, and community are all part of the work.

Final Word

Sinners is a horror movie, yes—but it’s also a love letter to Black resistance, imagination, and survival. 

At ShiftED Consulting, we believe resisting White Supremacy Culture isn’t just about saying no to harm. It’s about saying yes to power, to healing, to freedom.