Diversity as the Solution, Not the Problem

The start of Black History Month is an occasion to celebrate. It’s also a particularly important time to reflect on challenges to building more equitable and inclusive futures.

In this week's issue of The Navigator, we look at the role of diversity in business, and how leaders can rally their companies’ talent and creativity to forge a path forward in spite of anti-DEI headwinds.

News Roundup

1. How Martin Luther King Would Respond To Today’s Attacks On DEI (Forbes: Shaun Harper) What role does business have in helping to build “a grand alliance” for social and economic justice?
2. Why DEI Leaders Are Burning Out — and How Organizations Can Help (Harvard Business Review: Kelly Pledger Weeks, Nicolina Taylor, Alison Hall Birch, Myrtle P. Bell, Anna Nottingham, Louwanda Evans) “You get tired of explaining. You get tired of selling people on your value, and you just get tired of ignorance sometimes.” How can organizations do better?
3. The Evolution of Board Effectiveness (Directors & Boards: Richard Alsop) What role do diverse perspectives and experiences play in building a strong board capable of meeting current and future business challenges?
4. How to Embed Supplier Diversity & Inclusion Programmes (Supply Chain Magazine: Sean Ashcroft) Why does Javette Hines, Head of Supply Chain Development, Inclusion & Sustainability at Citi, believe that “supplier diversity is a strategic business imperative”?
5. The Fearless Fund Lawsuit Is About More Than Just This Case (TIME: Janell Ross) “This is about the American Dream.”: How does this lawsuit capture many of the issues at the heart of current conflicts around DEI? (also see As Corporate DEI Comes Under Legal Attack, Companies Quietly Alter Their Programs)

Spotlight: Webinar on The Future of DEI in Corporate America

We enter 2024 with diversity, equity, and inclusion under scrutiny. How do corporate leaders consider the business benefits of diversity in the face of pressing headwinds? Are employee expectations and external pressures at odds? What steps are organizations taking with regard to their DEI programs in the current socio-political climate?

Join us Tuesday, February 20th at 3:30 PM EST?for a conversation with Lisa Fairfax, Megan Hogan, Ellen McGirt, Dr. Asif Sadiq MBE, and Deepa Purushothaman.

The event is free but registration is required. Hope to see you there!

One for the Road

Interested in changing your world for the better? We’d love to hear your thoughts, and thanks for reading!

— The Business & Society Program