Four years after George Floyd was killed, the Congressional Black Caucus insists that businesses have an obligation to fulfill promises and pledges made during the 2020 “racial reckoning,” and commit to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
In the reports own words, “It is no longer acceptable to deliver promises without action. The murder of George Floyd, like many other police-related killings preceding and following, shook our community and lit a fire of activism in parts of the nation that may have otherwise never stepped forward. Most of these corporations took advantage of that season of activism and publicly vowed to fight alongside us. It is now time to hold these corporations accountable.”
Many have taken issue with the implementation of DEI — especially following George Floyd’s death — and have struggled to reconcile his fentanyl-induced death with the premise that companies should give race-based preferential treatment in the hiring or promotion processes.
Breitbart News reports:
The report released Monday offers guidelines to corporations on the best practices to adopt to advance diversity, equity and inclusion policies in the workplace and calls on companies to recommit to advance racial justice in the workplace. The document also includes a roadmap for advancing wealth creation in Black communities and closing the racial wealth gap.
In an interview, Congressional Black Caucus chair Rep. Steven Horsford said, “In the wake of the death of George Floyd, corporations pledged $50 billion to racial equity and strengthening DEI policies. DEI is now under attack, but the response from corporate America has been overwhelming.”
Horsford continued, “There is nothing under the law that is illegal or unconstitutional about corporations advancing DEI policies. I commend the corporations that answered our call. We are now giving the roadmap for what good looks like,” referencing the study’s title: “What Good Looks Like: A Corporate Accountability Report on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.”
Breitbart News continues:
Horsford condemned “far right actors who are attempting to bully corporate America” to back away from DEI policies. He added that it was “erroneous” for corporations to rescind DEI policies because of the Supreme Court’s June decision overturning affirmative action programs in college admissions, which did not directly address corporate DEI policies.
A growing share of Americans reject DEI and affirmative action, as they believe it unfairly discriminates against otherwise qualified candidates, and that people should only be hired or promoted based on merits and credentials; not on immutable characteristics like race, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity.
Breitbart News concludes:
The study is the result of the ensuing monthslong dialogue between the caucus and nearly half of Fortune 500 companies, as well as academics and business analysts, to develop guidelines that promote DEI and Black economic mobility in an increasingly fraught political and legal environment. It cited corporations facing a backlash to such policies from conservative activists and lawmakers.
Since the Supreme Court’s ruling, more than a dozen Republican attorneys general have sent letters to Fortune 500 corporations threatening legal action over DEI policies. Earlier this year, GOP lawmakers in multiple states pursued restrictions on diversity and inclusion efforts in the workplace, and conservative legal groups have directed lawsuits at organizations focused on advancing underrepresented groups. Some companies have backed away from DEI policies they once promoted in the wake Floyd’s death.
