Corporate America: This is not a drill.

As the racial justice movement advances, business has to respond

The killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis was the match that ignited flames of a long-anticipated fire we all knew was coming. This quintessentially American crisis has been foretold by Black leaders dating back to slavery and every generation since. Today’s leaders demand an end to police brutality against the Black community but, ultimately, the dismantling of systemic racism and white supremacy. Responding to this call to action, we’ve seen the most diverse cross section of people in American history consolidate support for the movement, but we’ve also seen the cognitive dissonance of the White House and deep opposition in some communities across the country.

In a June 2020 Pew Research Center survey, nearly half of Americans (48%) believe President Trump has made race relations worse and two thirds (67%) support the Black Lives Matter movement, so it’s not a matter of when business needs to engage, it’s how.

The energy of the moment is palpable and spreading fast as evidenced by global protests and the growing demand for information on racism and the Black experience. One of the distinguishing aspects of what we are seeing is that, in the words of author and anti-racist educator Layla F. Saad, "more people with white privilege than ever before are listening, and they are ready to do the work." As individuals and communities reflect on antiracism, connect with others, and take direct action, the expectations of Corporate America have never been higher.

While business leaders have evolved their views on the role of business in society, the time has come to specifically talk about - and take action on - race. Today, there is little change to report in terms of the representation of people of color on Boards and in the C-Suite; the hiring and retention of professionals of color; the transformation of workplace experiences for people of color; and the understanding of the value communities of color bring to business models and outcomes. 

Companies largely lean on Chief Diversity Officers and Human Resource leaders to advance inclusion in the workplace and elevate diversity as a reputational value. Chief Diversity Officers, specifically, are often the only people of color in the C-Suite and many don’t report directly to the CEO. Annually, they issue diversity reports which offer a sense of transparency and accountability but underscore minimal progress in terms of representation or meaningful change. It is fair to say that diversity and inclusion efforts in Corporate America continue to be significantly under-resourced and/or disconnected from the corporate power structure and until that is revisited, transformational change is not possible.

Other diversity and inclusion efforts in Corporate America include the acknowledgement and celebration of cultural holidays and heritage months, the development of affinity groups, and increasingly implementing anti-bias training. Some companies are making more significant strides by investing in closing disparity gaps in communities of color through partnerships that tackle systemic challenges in education, digital inclusion, and economic empowerment. These are all useful tactics but unless they are part of an integrated strategy that is connected to leadership and the business structure, they simply don’t add up to the change in dynamics that is needed.

If the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville was a signal to Corporate America’s need to engage in issues of race, businesses have had nearly three years to prepare and lean into the issues. Between then and now, it’s hard to think of a sector or industry that has not been touched by a race-related incident from racially insensitive advertising to racially-charged products. The truth is the whole of Corporate America can and needs to do more on diversity and inclusion. Doing so is not only good for business and the right thing to do, it is responsive to the fact that communities of color are essential to our social and economic future. On consumer value alone, Black and Latino/x communities are integral to our future. Today, 48 million African Americans wield $1.3 trillion in annual buying power and  60 million Latino/x are projected to top $1.9 trillion in buying power by 2023 (a higher gross domestic product than countries like Australia, Spain and Mexico). As growing demographic groups and critical contributors to our economy, Corporate America simply cannot afford to ignore the issues that most directly impact these communities.

As business leaders and organizations explore how to engage in this historic moment, here are a few considerations:

Be Specific in Your Statements.

Many companies have taken swift action to issue statements supporting the protests, denouncing the killing of George Floyd and police violence. This is important, but it is imperative to reject racism and acknowledge “Black Lives Matter.” In making statements, it’s also critical to be mindful of communicating with internal and external audiences in tandem. This will help raise employee awareness and signal what is/will be happening to navigate this difficult time and address systemic racism going forward. Meanwhile your external statement will reflect your commitment to society.   

Lead with Empathy and Antiracism.

This is a watershed moment, and for people of color, emotions and engagement levels are high. For white individuals, there is no way to fully internalize the impact of this moment, so this is the time to listen, acknowledge, and respect the sensitivities that are particularly acute for the Black community but certainly mirrored across communities of color. This requires you to recognize your own and your organization’s racial biases and how to change those perspectives to inform your actions. Remember, we’re still in a pandemic and a recession that continues to ravage Black, Latino/x, and Indigenous communities. Create and hold space for people to not be “ok” – especially at work where business is transitioning to a new normal and circumstances make it virtually impossible for people of color to show up in their best form.   

Be a Co-Conspirator.

A co-conspirator is more than a traditional “ally.” It is someone who actively listens to leaders of color, constructively contributes insights and perspectives, and creatively collaborates on efforts to deconstruct systemic bias and inequality that are deeply rooted in our communities, our places of work, and at all levels of our society. Working together – as co-conspirators – will help to ensure that all notions of community spaces are built and operate under new rules of engagement centered on inclusivity. It also means that we’ll reach beyond more traditional spaces such as the workplace to collaborate on broader systemic issues and efforts to address racial inequality.

In other words, let’s create the workplace that truly allows someone to bring their “whole self” and let’s also step out of the workplace to understand what our colleagues experience in greater society.

Take Bold Action.

Going beyond the substantive symbolism of supporting communities of color involves making both visible and measurable commitments for substantive change. This is where companies can think outside the box to create opportunities that deliver impact on issues, geographic locations, etc. This does not preclude financial commitments going to organizations such as Black Lives Matter, Color of Change, NAACP, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the Equal Justice Initiative, or others. It’s important to note that bold action is also something individual leaders can take as demonstrated by 50 women leaders who rendered their social media platforms to 50 Black women to articulate the urgency of the movement for racial equality.

Calibrate Your Perspective and Action.

This year has presented unprecedented challenges and we have all had to adjust to new realities in real time. For businesses, this has included a shift in the workforce to respond to social distancing guidelines, management of the direct economic impact from a global shut down and - for many - necessary pivots to COVID-19 response efforts in a matter of days and weeks. Thankfully, several businesses provided essential services to communities of color that have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. As the movement for racial justice progresses, businesses are increasingly expected to focus resources and engagement to systemic racism with a parallel discipline to that which has been leveraged to battle the pandemic but fully recognizing that racial inequality is likely a much longer challenge to address.

While no one company’s actions will look like that of another, the point is to reflect internally and take action externally because doing nothing is not an option.