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It’s been a year since the heinous murder of George Floyd, and corporations all over are making some attempt at acknowledging the horrific occasion. When the heart-stopping footage of Derek Chauvin holding a knee to Mr. Floyd’s neck hit the airways, companies in the Minnesota region and across the nation clamored to make commitments and pledges toward creating more diverse, equitable and inclusive company cultures.
In a year’s time, the sad reality is that for most companies, the action to create real change stopped at signing the pledge or, at best, having a compelling discussion with great ideas — still, not enough movement or tangible action to follow.
I hear it all the time, “change takes time.” True, it does. But as I shared in previous columns, the “George Floyd” effect was sure to wear off as it often does. I know a lot of us want to believe this is the first time Americans have decided they’ve had enough with racism. But as a Black woman fighting for social justice for the last 30 years, I see this as a cycle.
I meet with corporate leaders every day and am already starting to see a shift in their willingness to speak against injustice. Shopify’s CEO, Tobias Lütke, just released a letter to his staff explaining it’s not their job to stand up to injustice. The cycle is already nearing its end.
But I wanted to see what would happen if I decided to take matters into my own hands. What if I tried to make real change with my small agency? What if we committed to taking on large initiatives and affecting measurable change following the events of George Floyd’s murder?
We are a Black, woman-owned diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) marketing firm. In no way are we as large as or do we generate as much revenue as companies with hundreds/thousands of employees. Yet, in the last year, we were able to accomplish some amazing things. And our success is emulatable.
Here’s how other companies can be successful too:
1. Simply Hire More Black People
We built and launched a diverse hiring platform and solution aimed at providing professionals of color equitable access to corporate opportunities. We believe one thing the Minnesota region could do to restore its reputation with Black people is to hire them. After all, we have 19 Fortune 500 that call our state home. Well, we built a proprietary platform from the ground up and got the likes of U.S. Bank, Thrivent, Midco, Make-a-Wish, Minute Media and others joined our movement.
Today, we’ve helped hundreds of professionals make connections with top employers from the region.
2. Create Free Resources To Help Corporations Get It Right
Our team worked hard to make difficult-to-find information on how to implement DEI successfully at a corporate level easy and free to find. Yes, we’re giving away information we used to sell, but our knowledge and experience are too important to hold to the vest when so much change is needed. Our “Pillars of DEI” is available to anyone who wants to learn how to implement DEI through talent and acquisition, procurement, communication and corporate social responsibility.
3. Leading Out Loud
If leaders don’t lead out loud, then expecting company culture and initiatives to change is nearly impossible. In the past, I’ve been relatively silent, but since the murder of George Floyd, I understood I needed to get in front of audiences to educate everyone on the importance of getting this right. Little old me got published on shows and sites like Good Morning America, Fox News, Blavity, BET, Essence and more.
This list is in no way exhaustive! When I look at what my team could accomplish, I can’t help but wonder what corporations could do if they decided to make real change.
For the companies who have seemingly reneged on their promises to be part of the solution, their leadership, no doubt, falls in the camp of believing CEOs have recently gotten too involved in commenting on social and political issues and need to pull back. Interestingly enough, 50% of CEOs polled by Fortune Magazine believe this over the statement that CEOs have a responsibility to speak out on important social and political issues and should continue to do so. This sentiment is such a shift in tone from this time last year when most everyone was in agreement that “more” should be done.
What this says to me is that companies made pledges when it was the “in” thing to do, and this is not going to stand. Making statements and taking stances only to ride the publicity wave is unacceptable and problematic. It feeds into the larger problem of sweeping injustices against Black people and people of color under the rug that America has too long a history of doing. When leaders and companies take this approach, it is an indication they believe the call for change is a moment that will pass and not a movement to reimagine and better define the framework of our country. They are comfortable being part of systemic barriers and are fine with things staying the same.
It is time we, as a collective America, start holding companies accountable in a way that we’ve never done before. We’re the consumers, therefore we have the power to do so. No more allowing ourselves to be lulled by promises and lip service. Vigilance is key! We have to keep our eyes open and stay alert to what’s really going on if we are to help steer our country toward a more equitable and inclusive future. Enough is enough.
2022 will be the telling year. While most companies aren’t there yet when it comes to fulfilling their well-written and well-intended strategies, those who worked on putting together actual action plans are at least on the right track.
To be clear, my organization is proof of concept. Those who genuinely want to see, be and make a change — just do it.
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Sharon Smith-Akinsanya is CEO of Rae Mackenzie Group, an award-winning diversity, equity and inclusion marketing firm, and author of ‘Colorfull: Competitive Strategies to Attract and Retain Top Talent of Color.’ She recently founded People Of Color Careers™ Social Hiring Network to help professionals of color land their dream careers with employers who are serious about increasing racial inclusivity at all levels of the corporate structure. Learn more at BoldlySharon.com.
