Black Caucus Issues New Guidelines     09/09 06:11

   

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- Corporate policies meant to advance diversity and 
inclusion in the workplace are legal and should be expanded to promote broad 
economic prosperity and reduce racial wealth inequities, according to a new 
report by the Congressional Black Caucus.

   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 the wake of the death of George Floyd, corporations pledged $50 billion 
to racial equity and strengthening DEI policies," said Rep. Steven Horsford, 
D-Nev., chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, in an interview. "DEI is now 
under attack, but the response from corporate America has been overwhelming."

   The findings follow a December open letter the caucus issued that called on 
corporations to "reaffirm their commitments to DEI" and work with the CBC to 
fulfill pledges on racial and economic inequality.

   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.

   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.

   "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," Horsford 
said, citing the study's title: "What Good Looks Like: A Corporate 
Accountability Report on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion."

   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.

   DEI policies are official guidelines and programs meant to welcome people of 
various backgrounds into an organization and create a culture where they feel 
included to do their work. Such policies can be as broad or narrow as an 
organization decides and can focus on any demographic.

   In the immediate wake of the Supreme Court ruling, the Democratic chair of 
the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a federal agency focused on civil 
rights policies in the workplace, stated that the decision "does not address 
employer efforts to foster diverse and inclusive workforces or to engage the 
talents of all qualified workers."

   The study outlines twelve fields where corporations can focus on expanding 
DEI and help close the racial wealth gap, including guidance for workplace 
culture, data disaggregation, talent opportunities, retention rates, pay equity 
and procurement policies.

   The study invites companies to "collaborate legislatively" to develop laws 
that "create perpetual accountability for corporate America, help close this 
massive gap of inequality, and support the values of our caucus."

   Most firms that engaged with the study came from the manufacturing industry, 
followed by companies in the financial services and information sectors. Fifty 
CEOs sat down directly with the CBC while companies also responded with other 
top representatives, letters and answers to questionnaires from lawmakers.

   The CBC is one of the largest and most influential blocs in the Democratic 
congressional caucus. Its membership spans the party's ideological and regional 
diversity but shares a commitment to advancing the interests of Black 
Americans, especially on issues like voting rights and economic mobility. House 
Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., a CBC member, was involved in the 
development of the report.

   "It is no longer acceptable to deliver promises without action," the report 
reads. "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."