How to Build an Anti-Racist Company

As a Black man with three decades of experience in the corporate world, the author has a deep understanding of how to conceive and implement diversity, equity, and inclusion agendas from the top down. Following the 2020 murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, he was approached by numerous executives who wanted to act to combat systemic racism and sought his advice on how to proceed. So White and his daughter Krista wrote the book Anti-Racist Leadership to share what he has learned.

In this article, adapted from the book, White provides guidance for getting started. Leaders should listen to and learn from colleagues across the organization, enlist senior executives in the cause, audit the culture, and document what their companies are already doing to foster diversity and inclusion. They should then establish benchmarks for measuring progress, build “action learning teams” to spearhead the effort, and develop and communicate an overall plan.

As the world goes into economic recovery mode, leaders have a brief window in which to reimagine their approach to the workforce. This article can help them seize the opportunity and bring fully inclusive cultures to the organizations they run.