Businesses' Investment and Engagement in Black Communities

While many of the steps that companies should and can take relating to diversity and inclusion are largely internal, they can also take actions to address systematic racism in the external business and social contexts in which they operate.? Companies should commit to advocating for good, supporting employees in their interests in getting involved in community-based programming focusing on racial and economic justice, supporting full participation by workers and community members in democracy, rebuilding trust between businesses and communities of color and supporting minority-businesses through investments and preferences in procurement practices.? Focusing on the community level allows a company to set meaningful targets and implement programs that fit the scale of its operations, and which can provide the most immediate value to itself and its stakeholders.

Community engagement must be a permanent part of the strategy and operations of any company, and this means identifying community stakeholders as soon as possible and moving quickly establishing communications and understanding their needs and expectations regarding the company and how it will operate within the community.? Companies need to understand the issues that concern community members; the beliefs, values and experiences that drive the actions of community members and how community groups interact with one another.? Companies also need to carefully select that best strategies for their relationships with their communities, typically choosing from among community investment, which is essentially a one-way process of providing information and resources to the community (e.g., information sessions, charitable donations, employee volunteering etc.); community involvement, which involves two-way communications, such as consultation processes prior to launching a major project; and/or community integration, which involves sharing information and consultation in advance of launching collaborative projects that are jointly controlled with, and often led by, community groups.

Companies need to focus on rebuilding trust among communities of color given that many members of those communities are skeptical that businesses really care about racial justice and equality.? Black communities, like all communities, have diverse needs and interests; however, there are several common themes that often come up when discussing how businesses can best support Black communities including economic investment, education and training, community engagement, advocacy, representation, and respect and understanding.? Businesses have influence and resources to work with local governments and community organizations to improve outcomes for people in the communities in which the company operates and its workers and consumers live by addressing structural problems, advocating for local policies that addressed structure inequities, and supporting environmental justice.? Among the strategies that businesses can follow to support community development in Black neighborhoods are investing in local businesses, hiring locally, providing training and education, supporting community programs, and promoting financial literacy.? Businesses’ investing and engaging with Black communities should set realistic goals, establish metrics to track progress toward those goals, and regularly report on the results of their efforts to all stakeholders.

While the potential benefits of community engagement and investment for businesses are often framed as being readily apparent, it is useful to consider ideas about the specific aims and objectives of corporate community involvement.? One comprehensive list included making people inside and outside the community aware of various problems in the community; ensuring that investment and development efforts occur across all sectors of the community and in multiple areas including education, health, recreation and employment; motivating members of the community to participate in community welfare programs; providing equal opportunities within the community for access to education, health and other facilities necessary for better wellbeing; building confidence among community members to help themselves and others; generating new ideas and changing patterns of life within the community in positive ways that do not negatively interfere with traditions and culture; bringing social reforms into the community; promoting social justice; developing effective methods to solve community programs including better communications between community members and local governments; and creating interest in community welfare among community members and mobilizing those members to participate in the collective work for community development.

To learn more, download the author's chapters on Introduction to Community Engagement and Investment and Businesses’ Investment and Engagement in Black Communities.