to appease their shareholders, customers, and employees. While movement from the biggest brands is laudable, it is also wholly insufficient. In most cases, a pledge does not strike to the heart of the power that business leaders have in shaping whose voice gets heard – and whose has remained silenced. While foundations and philanthropies are pivoting quickly to invest in anti-racist work,
Because across the United States, leadership at the largest companies are disappointingly non-diverse. Among Fortune 500 companies, there are only four Black CEOs, and 37 women – less than 8%. Companies haven’t been doing enough internally to promote equity – or using their sponsorship dollars to influence others to change.Racist policies, business practices, and cultural norms work hand-in-hand with implicit bias, creating systemic barriers to equality throughout society.
When corporations sponsor events without inquiring or requiring diversity strategies to be set in place, they are perpetuating a system of racial inequality. Sponsors and events managers alike need to recognize their complicity, understand its impact, and intentionally design every speaking opportunity centering people who represent the diverse swath of people across America now and in the future.
Diversity on conference stages goes beyond the “percent” of BIPOC speakers. Creating a standard where people are intentionally selected for their expertise their identities, within our society’s vast array of socio-economic backgrounds; gender identities and sexual orientation; disabilities and health conditions; alongside racial and ethnic classification.
gradsoflife Nice one