10 Elements of a Good Company Statement in Solidarity with Black Lives
To say that companies have gotten their solidarity statements wrong would be an understatement. With each passing #BlackLivesMatter release, there have been other blunders of performative activism that society and company’s employees have had to grapple with.
Fully knowing of continued harm toward Black people and systematic exclusion from workplaces has left companies wondering just what to do. At such a delicate time as this, companies must understand ways to support the Black community and their black workforce in the midst of their grief and fatigue.
It is critical for organizational leaders to understand how to demonstrate support, so that employees know their company cares about their pain and sadness. At the same time, it is equally important for them to keep social capital with the Black community that supports their company, buys its products, or uses its services. Saying nothing is not an option.
Below are ten elements of a good company statement that demonstrates solidarity with Black Lives.
1. It is written by the CEO or the person at the very top of an organization.
The head of the organization must communicate unequivocally that black lives matter, and should communicate this message with sincerity. But, it is a mistake to rush to put out this statement because others are doing it. It is wise to have a consultant come in and take a good hard look at the company’s track record on diversity (current staff are not in a position to be objective). It should also not be written by a staff member or even a Chief Diversity Officer or Inclusion Lead. The emotional labour of writing a solidarity statement and expressing organizational goals should not be downloaded to staff.
2. It acknowledges social, cultural, and organizational structures that have been rooted in racism.
It is no secret that people are treated differently because of their race. Prejudice or raced based discrimination occurs precisely because of the belief that one race is superior to another and this assumption of inferiority is fully embraced by the culture of our society. So company statements should not shy away from recognizing the practices that are built into organizations or institutional systems based on this belief. These beliefs are widespread and well established and people are treated differently because of their race in every type of organization from not-for-profits to private corporate entities. Leaders at the top of companies have to show that they “get” it by ensuring their solidarity statements recognize their own organizations’ roles in upholding systems of oppression to date (systems like white supremacy) and disproportionately benefiting or disadvantaging particular racial groups. Bonus marks if your statement acknowledges the colonial past.
3. It acknowledges the history of systemic racism and injustice that got us to this point.
Do not gloss over current events in your black lives matter statement. Refer to the names of the Black people who are recent victims of police violence. Use statistics that demonstrate you understand the impact of anti-black racism on society in areas like education, health care, child welfare, and of course employment. Acknowledge the anti-black, systemic racism, so embedded in our society that needs undoing.
4. It acknowledges that the organization may not have always gotten it right.
The organization head must acknowledge the past, but should not do so by saying how much the company always valued principles like diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, fairness, and so forth. Someone in your organization is bound to not agree and call this out, causing a loss in credibility. Instead, acknowledge the things your company may have gotten wrong. Acknowledging past misdeeds avoids the embarrassing situation where a current employee or stakeholder outs you as a less than diverse or inclusive organization. Only once you have acknowledged errors or apologized for past bad behaviours and omissions is your organization in a position to make commitments moving forward.
5. Take ownership of any underperformance with respect to diversity and inclusion data that reflects inequities in practices.
If you are ashamed to release the photo of your Board or Leadership Team, then communicate that. Collect data to determine whether your workforce is reflective of equitable practices and the community you serve, determine where people of colour are, where Black people are, and where they are absent. An accountable leader gets more respect. Plan to address the deficiencies in specific areas of your organization and say so in the statement.
6. Share what has already begun, what will be accomplished in the short term, and what will be accomplished over a longer term.
Focus on what you are doing, speak to actions your organization has taken and actions it is about to take. Leadership research has shown that how a leader acts and communicates during very challenging periods of time can create the foundation for future trust in the leader (Kasper-Fuehrer & Ashkanasy, 2001). Further, be transparent. Transparency is so important to gaining trust.
7. Set a vision – if you want to be a more fair and just organization, say so. If you want to be an anti-racist company, say so.
By setting a vision, you allow the reader to see your future and aspire with you. Be human, be vulnerable, be truthful. Talk about how you are feeling personally and what change will mean for you and for your business. If you are genuine in your communications it will come across well.
8. Intend to measure progress and hold leaders accountable for achieving goals to improve things for Black people. Diversity, representation and inclusion metrics should be built into leadership performance reviews and targets.
We have all heard it by now--What gets measured gets done. If you are serious about making improvements in your organization, you need metrics to evaluate your progress over time. No one will believe you intend to move the needle on diversity and workplace inclusion if you are not intending to keep a thermometer on your workplace.
9. Set goals
Goals help you stay focused. They also help you visualize what change will mean for your business.
a. Address diversity – Do not put out a company statement without being prepared to change your Board, your leadership, and your larger organization to reflect that black lives matter. Say that you are seeking a diverse workforce and plan to increase representation of Black leaders, Officers, Directors, and Board.
b. Address your talent strategy
i. Where will you recruit from?
ii. What qualification barriers will you eliminate in your job postings?
iii. Who will you mentor, sponsor or promote?
c. Address supplier diversity and create more opportunities for underrepresented groups.
d. Address organizations you will support/partner with and why.
e. Address training and education and make it ongoing.
10. Be committed and recognize that the impact of your commitments will take time to be felt.
When the police killings stop (and I hope they do), the protests end, and the unjust verdicts become a thing of the past, it may be tempting to put the social justice movement on the back burner and your solidarity statement may become a distant memory for your organization’s stakeholders. It will be important to sustain your efforts over the longer term to give credence to your statement that Black. Lives. Matter. Do not put out a company statement if you are not prepared to put substantial resources (financial and human) behind your statement.
About Janelle Benjamin: Janelle Benjamin, B.A., J.D., is the Founder & Chief Equity Officer of All Things Equitable Inc. addressing systemic change for equity-seeking groups in the workplace. Learn more about Janelle.
