Achieving the Dream Through Corporate Action

In his I Have a Dream speech, delivered August 23, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. reflected on the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863. He described it as a beacon of hope for millions of enslaved Black individuals that, 100 years later, was “sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination.”

The year following Dr. King’s speech, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Civil Rights Act attempted to sever the manacles Dr. King referenced, ending Jim Crow and making it illegal to discriminate based on race, color, national origin, gender, or religion. And yet, today, 60 years after the Civil Rights Act, the lived experiences of those the Civil Rights Act aimed to protect remain marred by inequity, challenged by bias, and burdened by systems of discrimination.

Recently, civil rights lawyer Cyrus Mehri, who has fought workplace discrimination for decades, said race discrimination in America is a “tenacious foe” and warned that racial progress is fragile and can be lost in an instance. A 2021 McKinsey study predicted that at our current pace of progress, it will take another 95 years—more than 250 years post Emancipation Proclamation—for Black Americans to achieve talent parity across all sectors in the American workplace.

Recognizing the prolonged struggle for equity and justice, and especially since the murder of George Floyd, some corporations have embraced the responsibility of eliminating discrimination. These organizations acknowledge their influence in altering our trajectory and expediting the journey toward equity.

At lululemon , our initiative for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Action (IDEA) is focused on encompassing a culture of inclusion where diversity is celebrated, equity is the norm, and action is the commitment. We seek to find and address barriers that threaten to slow our collective’s progress forward. Over the years, we have made concrete strides by addressing systemic inequities and increasing diversity across the organization, exceeding our diversity aspirations by increasing our retail diversity percentage to 41% and exceeding our 30% goal for Assistant Managers, as well as individuals hired in the past four years at higher leadership positions.

We have held hundreds of ?hours of listening sessions to collaborate with members of our collective; have had thousands of employees participate in IDEA learnings, ranging from microaggressions and bias training to how to lead diverse teams; have trained hundreds within our collective on Inclusive and Equitable Design; have 11 fully-sourced People Networks (also known as Employee Resource Groups); and hold ourselves accountable by tracking our impact through data and metrics.

Our approach to increasing equity is rooted in an understanding of historical context, reinforced by empathy, and driven by an unwavering determination for real, tangible impact. It is our goal in 2024 to continue to focus our efforts on our employees, guests, ambassadors, business partners, and all communities we serve. We will continue to embed IDEA in every part of our business by designing everything we do through an inclusive and equitable lens and will continue to uplift our entire collective by making our company more accessible to all.

As Dr. King understood well, the pursuit of equity is neither easy nor quick, and often faces opposition and distractions that come not only from the obvious places but also from those not so obvious. As we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, let us take note of where we have progressed, where we have opportunities to do better, and what we must do to meaningfully move forward. Let us confront the complexities of our journey toward racial equity with relentless determination. And let us continuously reimagine futures that are designed for all communities to thrive.

Within the business community, our work toward equity demands that we persistently dream boldly, envisioning a world where equity and inclusion are not just ideals but foundations upon which we build a more just future. Let this day be a reminder that, in the spirit of Dr. King, our collective dreams have the power to shape a reality where all are valued, empowered, and uplifted.