Corporate Allyship: A CTA

Over the past year, to say nothing of the past days, we’ve become acutely aware of the importance and power of allyship. Of the need to stand with under-represented and under-served people and communities.

As companies and the individuals making them up, we’ve spent much-needed time having long over-due conversations about our commitments to DE&I -- candidly assessing where we are and how far that may be from where we need to be. 

But the data shows that for too many of us, and according to more than half of young people, intentions haven’t yet led to actions—and the people are watching. (Ypulse)

Too often corporate and individual allyship are limited to one month (be it February, March, June…). Too often it’s catalyzed only by one tragic moment. Of course, the sad reality is these tragic moments are occurring constantly, every day, only sometimes being captured on film and in our feeds. 

Few of us are perfect allies. Most of us can do more, and the truth is we must. The good that would come if we all did just one more thing…would be tens of millions of one-more-things. This won’t stop hate, but it would change the world for those who need it to most.

Over the past year, we’ve had dozens of conversations with brands about where to start; how to start; what to be accountable to; what happens if they don’t live up to their commitments. They’ve asked how they can raise their voices and use their platforms more than performatively if their own house isn’t yet in order? Our counsel back has been guided by 3 tenets: 

1. Start internally. But don’t wait for your internal work to be finished before you work externally.
2. Don’t wait for public tragedy to act. Tragedy is occurring right now. Act now.
3. Share qualitative and quantitative benchmarks knowing you’ll be held accountable, internally and externally, both for what you do and what you don’t. Transparency may be frightening. Accountability usually is. But it’s 2021 and there’s no escaping either. Lean in.

Admittedly, these aren’t break-through notions. They’re fundamentals——of our opportunity as companies and the humans within them to do more that matters to the communities we have said matter. To make the world a more equitable and just one.

Again, few of us are perfect allies and we can all use a reminder to do more. To these ends, we’ve launched #Pride365 which lives inside an #Allies365 umbrella effort.

Only 4% of funding to LGBTQ+ organizations comes from the corporate world, and brand support for the community is too often limited to June and June alone. And if you’re spending more on your float than on progress, you might want to reconsider that.

Because, like all under-represented groups, the LGBTQ+ community (and all the intersectional populations it represents) is under attack on the daily. Literally and legislatively. As of this writing there are 131 pieces of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation sitting in statehouses across the country, and aggressively anti-Trans legislation in over a dozen.

We know these #365 efforts are no panacea, but if they inspire us all to do just one more thing...that, all of us, could be. Our hope though is they’re gentle reminders that more active allyship is needed—beyond any one month or moment.

A small example but, brands, Pride packaging (and your commitments to BLM, women, the AAPI community, the differently-abled)…is relevant and important all year-round, not just in June. Everyone wants to know we’re seen, heard, understood, supported. Especially the under-represented. Any month and every month.

At 160, we recently surveyed 600 LGBTQ+ identifying professionals and asked them what it means for a company to be a good ally. 3 themes rose to the top:

1. Ensuring equal pay, representation in leadership, and hiring policies/internal culture that prevent discrimination and help LGBTQ+ employees feel comfortable & supported
2. Standing up for the LGBTQ+ community, speaking out against injustices, and publicly taking action all year-round
3. Supporting The Equality Act and working against those legislative efforts seeking to deny their rights and protections

None of this seems a bar too high, and so what if we all used this moment as an opportunity to reconsider our own commitments to allyship and, if you’re in a position, your company’s commitments. 

We’re committed to doing more and better at 160. I’m committed to it. Some actions will be outward facing, some internal. But we (and I) will move beyond intention to action, more.

We’ll make mistakes. We’ll say and do the wrong things. But we can’t let this get in the way of more active, sustained allyship to all those who need us to act, not just post, in solidarity with them…even if it’s not “their month.”

Together, brands and humans alike, we can make such a difference—even if we all did only one more thing. Who's in?