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What Does It Mean When Corporate America Takes A Stand Against Racism? (Blog Post)

May 31, 2018

Earlier this week, Starbucks and ABC showed us what corporate leadership against overt racism looks like. Starbucks closed almost all of its stores for several hours to raise awareness of unconscious bias among approximately 175,000 employees after a barista called the police to remove two Black men who hadn’t bought anything as they waited for a meeting. And ABC, supported by parent company Disney, moved quickly to cancel Roseanne after the show’s creator and star Roseanne Barr posted a vile and racist tweet about Valerie Jarret, a close advisor to President Obama.

Corporations like Starbucks and ABC are a big part of our culture. How many of us go a day without passing by a Starbucks, if not actually buying a coffee from them? How many of us don’t view a show, an advertisement, or some other promotional material from ABC or Disney on a given day? Companies like these drive our tastes—literally and figuratively.

And when they decide take a bold stand against racist behavior—whether it’s conscious or unconscious—they become role models for other organizations of all sizes.

In a purely business sense, it may be hard to make decisions like these—Starbucks paid millions of dollars to do its training and lost an afternoon’s worth of sales, while ABC will certainly lose major ad revenue for the centerpiece of its fall lineup.

But in a human sense, the decision is not hard. It’s about doing the right thing—for customers and employees, as well as society. A decisive and unequivocal response to clear examples of the racism that people of color face every day should be the status quo. It’s not—and that’s what makes these actions speak so much louder than any flowery words about diversity and inclusion could.

Cynics may criticize Starbucks and ABC for not doing enough, or making a PR move, or starting too late, or taking the wrong actions. But the fact is, you’ve got to start somewhere—and one action is never going to be enough. To really make change they need to follow up with more inclusive leadership in obvious situations of discrimination and bias like these, and in less public ones too—at decision-making tables, in boardrooms, and in water cooler conversations.

Most importantly, other companies and people need to follow. Is your company taking steps to fight racism? Are you?

The views expressed herein are solely those of the guest blogger and do not necessarily reflect those of Catalyst. Catalyst does not endorse any political candidates. The post and the comments are presented only for the purpose of informing the public.

Joy Ohm

Vice President, Knowledge Architect and Writer

Joy Ohm collaborates with colleagues in the Research & Development department to conceptualize, write, and manage Catalyst’s cutting-edge knowledge products. She is also the leader of the Leading for Equity and Inclusion strategic pillar, which is the vehicle through which Catalyst partners with organizations to transform how they drive gender equity, fairness, and inclusion in the workplace globally. She uses her deep knowledge of DEI research to work with Catalyst experts and thought leaders to tell engaging stories with our data and create reports and products that Catalyst Supporters can use as a roadmap for change. She is committed to making Catalyst’s unique findings and perspectives accessible and inspiring for everyone. Joy regularly speaks on topics including allyship, emotional tax, frontline employees, inclusive leadership, and intersectionality to Catalyst Supporter organizations. She has also presented and moderated panel discussions at the Catalyst Awards Conference, Catalyst Honours, and other Catalyst events.  Before taking on this role, Joy was Catalyst’s Editor-in-Chief working out of our Global Marketing and Communications department and responsible for the editorial, design, and brand integrity of all Catalyst’s written materials, including the website. Joy graduated from Wellesley College cum laude with a degree in History and Philosophy, and she completed the Radcliffe Publishing Course.