Giving Compass' Take:

• The Aspen Institute hosted a conversation with corporate leaders to discuss how the private sector can pursue racial justice without being performative.

• How can donors examine their actions to ensure their charitable giving isn't performative? What are examples of companies that are committed to anti-racism work? 

• Learn how to become more than an ally for racial justice.

The killing of George Floyd and subsequent society-wide reflection on the treatment of the Black community in America unleashed a torrent of public statements and social media campaigns joined by corporation and private sector businesses. Companies rushed to issue statements to their customers and stakeholders regarding their stances on Black Lives Matter and their commitment to serving racial justice. This collective move of the private sector to support a social cause was met with some skepticism, as many worried these words were more pieces of performative support but lacked the potential to enact normative change.

Melissa Tidwell, start-up advisor and former General Counsel of Reddit, Ayana Parsons, Senior Client Partner at Korn Ferry, and Michael Akin, President of LINK Strategic Partners, discussed how the private sector can turn words to action and systematically change their work cultures to create the antiracist companies they say they want to be. The conversation was moderated by Dr. Mikal Anderson, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Prototype Entities – an equity focused management consulting firm that delivers solutions to maximize the educational and economic outcomes of underserved populations.

Read the full article about action for racial justice at The Aspen Institute.