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Every day we see new headlines of a tech product that disproportionately impacts Black communities or another Big Tech firm that fires a Black employee for speaking the truth about inequalities they have faced or witnessed within the company. Firms too often label these as “lapses of judgment” or “mistakes in review” when these choices are intentional decisions that leave the root problem unaddressed: deeply ingrained systemic racism.

Aside from the performance of apologies that ensues after every offense, corporate acts of racism have a real impact on Black workers and users. Hostile working environments and exclusionary hiring practices target Black workers. Consequently, Black consumers are subjected to technology products that perpetuate mass disparities in housing, education and income through discriminatory ad targeting.

It’s no surprise that racism has surpassed the water cooler conversations and is embedded in the fabric of these companies’ business practices and products when white men dominate employee ranks, C-suite offices and boards of directors. Color Of Change’s #BeyondtheStatement: Tech, a racial justice audit framework, offers the tech industry an opportunity to course-correct and support their statements calling for racial equality with standards and recommendations that result in material changes for Black people.

Join us in demanding greater transparency and accountability from tech.

The framework provides the steps needed to conduct an effective racial equity audit: increase transparency, evaluate policies and products for discrimination, recruit, hire, and retain a diverse workforce, hire internal civil rights staff, hold internal decision-makers accountable, and divest from police and mass incarceration.

These audits have the ability to not only curtail the persistence of racism in the tech industry, but transform the industry into one where racial equity and justice are integrated into every facet of all companies’ business model and operations. Since their origin, tech developers have integrated their own bias into algorithms and developing technology, directly impacting Black communities and even exacerbating the damages of discrimination and systemic racism. A racial equity audit can effectively address all the ways in which this bias has evaded other forms of self-regulated accountability, ensure greater protections for Black users online, and create a standard of equitable business practices across industries.

More inclusive technology companies would benefit both the communities that use these platforms and the Black workers supporting these networks. The demands in #BeyondTheStatement: Tech call for more jobs and opportunities where Black employees are invested in, respected and valued. Many of the “diversity programs” in Big Tech recruiting focus on placing Black talent in entry-level positions, yet Black executives make up only 2% of leadership in the top 50 companies. These recruiting tactics are not focused on the long-lasting retention, sponsorship and promotion necessary to change the culture of firms, with the idea that Black workers and Black communities are top of mind when creating new, innovative products and the policies that govern them.

Tech companies must conduct racial equity audits as civil rights and racial equity are market concerns. Consumers increasingly prioritize equitable products and shareholders are putting forth resolutions to diversify their boards. Tech companies that want to remain competitive and expand their consumer base must rigorously evaluate themselves with respect to racial equity as Black consumers are often the early adopters of digital and physical trends.

When companies conduct racial equity audits, they are able to widen their audience because they are making the safety of Black communities, on and offline, a business-wide priority.

Black workers, users and communities have nothing to lose when it comes to racial equity audits. It’s time decision-makers at major corporations take actionable steps to enact real justice and equity — #Beyond Statement: Tech is the first step. We have the power to demand online safety and prioritize racial equity in future digital spaces.