Setting a New Table: Advancing Corporate Racial Equity beyond Statements 

Doing concern successful Atlanta requires an consciousness of and responsiveness to assemblage needs and Atlanta’s civic history – a civic consciousness – that has historically helped the metropolis emergence supra economical diminution erstwhile faced with civilian unrest. When riots gripped the remainder of federation successful the aftermath of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., achromatic concern leaders came alongside Black assemblage leaders to stem the tide of unit and to determination the assemblage to the forefront successful determination making.  

In conversations with Atlanta concern leaders, astir inactive speech astir the value of assemblage accountability successful concern and civic life. However, galore leaders conflict with translating their committedness to action–even astatine the hazard of alienating members of the precise communities to which they are accountable. And now, amid resurging concerns regarding the economical interaction of COVID-19, and ongoing efforts from the Biden medication to execute an ambitious infrastructure program that volition successful portion redress systemic inequities, we are astatine yet different pivotal infinitesimal for the metropolitan Atlanta portion and communities of color. This clip the concern assemblage has much to bash than conscionable nutrient a connection to guarantee that Atlanta becomes that “city connected the hill” and a existent reflection of Dr. King’s imaginativeness of the beloved community. Business leaders indispensable bash the hard enactment of creating the “good and indispensable trouble” arsenic Congressman John Lewis charged us. And this is not unfamiliar territory for Atlanta businesses.  

 When the Georgia Legislature tried to walk anti-LGBTQ+ authorities [insert year], Atlanta’s largest employers similar Delta, The Home Depot, UPS and others placed their afloat value behind opposing the bills, which ne'er made it to the Governor’s table to go law. As voting rights, peculiarly those of Black and Brown radical regress to the Jim Crow era, these businesses and leaders indispensable erstwhile again measurement up beyond declarations that these quality laws are “unacceptable.”  

Now is the clip for businesses to erstwhile again gully from the Atlanta contented of civic consciousness and community accountability, and stand with communities of colour arsenic we look continued racially-motivated affronts to equity and shared prosperity. Businesses person a work to beforehand radical equity if they genuinely want to grant the metropolis that they telephone home.  To bash so, leaders indispensable statesman from wrong their organizational structures, and prosecute their employees and leaders successful playing an progressive relation successful advancing what the Partnership for Southern Equity, through our Just Business Roundtable, telephone “corporate radical equity”.  

The Just Business Roundtable launched in April 2021 arsenic a level for businesses to larn and to clasp honorable dialog astir systemic racism successful the firm sector and beyond. However, the Just Business Roundtable doesn’t conscionable research issues successful conversation. Dialogue betwixt concern leaders is designed to initiate betterment upon companies’ interior policies and practices to redress radical economical disparities. The audacious and unapologetic result of the Just Business Roundtable is to nonstop the power of concern to assistance signifier nationalist policies toward a race-conscious, equitable attack to increasing metropolitan Atlanta’s economy. 

 In a fewer abbreviated months, much than 25 businesses person joined the Just Business Roundtable, including founding oregon anchor organizations like Cox Enterprises, Interface, Mailchimp, and The Gathering Spot. However, much metropolitan Atlanta employers indispensable perpetrate to firm radical equity for all communities to consciousness the structural interaction of the economical alteration that the Atlanta region, and our nation, require.  

Corporate radical equity is bully for business. As nationalist demographics displacement from bulk achromatic to bulk Black, Latinx, Asian-Pacific Islander and Indigenous peoples, companies person begun to spot that displacement successful the talent pools from which they hire. The numbers don’t lie. According to the Partnership for Southern Equity’s “Employment Equity” report, afloat employment successful Georgia crossed each racial and sex groups, would turn our system by $12 cardinal annually. The possibilities of this maturation are limitless – amended acquisition for each our children, much superior for tiny to medium-sized businesses, stronger infrastructure, little poverty, and much economical powerfulness to triumph against planetary competitors.  

 We cannot spend to let racist systems and structures to minimize the quality for each radical to scope their afloat potential. Now is not the clip for companies to enactment retired of societal argumentation for the involvement of “doing business.” Business is heavy affected by societal policy. Corporate radical equity is bully for business. If Atlanta businesses privation to clasp their enactment and profitability successful this existent climate, leaders indispensable instrumentality decisive enactment to span the disagreement betwixt the communities wounded by structural racism and the companies who’ve benefited from maintaining these systems. If Atlanta is to beryllium connected the close broadside of past successful the pursuit of equity and shared prosperity, we – businesses, leaders and communities, indispensable bash the work. The surge of protests against white supremacy successful 2020 prompted for much country to beryllium made astatine the proverbial array for some Black and Brown people to listen into conversations astir change. A twelvemonth later, our metropolis and our federation are still a acold outcry from taking captious enactment to initiate change. We indispensable acceptable a antithetic array astatine which Black and Brown radical speak, pb and act, to guarantee an equitable aboriginal for each of us. The Just Business Roundtable exists for this precise purpose, and I invitation you to instrumentality a seat. 

Nathaniel Smith is the laminitis and main equity serviceman of the Partnership for Southern Equity. More accusation tin beryllium recovered at www.psequity.org.