Your Leadership is Needed

As we observe the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and reflect on his dream, “deeply rooted in the American dream– one day this nation will rise up and live up to its creed, ‘We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal,'” my challenge to leaders is to move beyond just listening to the pain and impacts of racism on people of color. Then only reflecting and considering ways to become a more equitable and inclusive organization during leadership team meetings. It is time to move to action.

2020 laid bare inequities in every aspect of our institutions and systems: employment, education and child care, law enforcement and the courts, healthcare, banking and finance, government and politics, media, hotels and hospitality, housing and homeownership, and the list goes on. However, these stark racial disparities are not new and were not created by COVID-19.

Because gains in civil rights had not improved the quality of life and living conditions for many African Americans, Dr. King also called for economic justice and launched the Poor People’s Campaign. He stated, “We believe the highest patriotism demands the ending of the war and the opening of a bloodless war to final victory over racism and poverty.”

And over 50 years after launching the Poor People’s Campaign, significant disparities still exist due to institutional and systemic racism. In September 2020, Citibank put a number on the cost of racial discrimination towards African Americans for the United States: 16 Trillion Dollars over the last two decades. “Specifically, the study came up with $16 trillion in lost GDP by noting four key racial gaps between African Americans and whites:

$13 trillion lost in potential business revenue because of discriminatory lending to African American entrepreneurs, with an estimated 6.1 million jobs not generated as a result
$2.7 trillion in income lost because of disparities in wages suffered by African Americans
$218 billion lost over the past two decades because of discrimination in providing housing credit
And $90 billion to $113 billion in lifetime income lost from discrimination in accessing higher education”

2021 is the year to turn listening, learning and reflection into action. Move towards becoming an anti-racist, multicultural organization. Rewrite (or discontinue) policies that reinforce disparities in recruitment and hiring, employee development and retention, and promotion and pay. Provide employees the tools and shared language to have difficult conversations about difference. Listen to employees who identify bias in systems and outcomes– then make changes. Examine how your organization and its services show up in the communities where you do business. The disparities cited by Citibank’s study did not happen in a vacuum. Even organizations with “color-blind” policies and strong non-discrimination statements play a role. It’s time to stop just talking and start working together to dismantle barriers of oppression and racism.

The best way to remember Dr. Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy is to stop just posting his quotes in a yearly company statement– without taking strategic and tangible steps to bring his dream to life. Then each year in preparation for his birthday, review progress, make adjustments and strategic investments. Demonstrate accountability by sharing progress. Keep going. This work is a marathon and not a sprint… and I invite you on this journey.