Juneteenth and the NYSE’s Efforts to Make Progress

The recognition of Juneteenth is particularly important this year, a reminder that respect for human dignity and equal treatment and justice for all are ideals we must embrace with renewed resolve.

There is no place for discrimination and intolerance in corporate America. Rather, it must lead. I have spoken with many business leaders over the past weeks, and this belief is widely shared. We must turn our attention to solutions, developing real answers to the questions that are asked today by so many.

The NYSE supports this effort. There is no single solution. Our collective efforts, both large and small, when taken together will be the way to drive lasting change. There are steps we have taken and others to come.

Today, we are expanding our commitment to promoting economic opportunity and access for those underrepresented. The entrepreneur begins their journey with a grand idea, but needs a lot of help along the way to realize that vision. We need to level the playing field to ensure minority-owned businesses have the same chance at success.

We are launching a new series of entrepreneurial boot camps designed specifically to support minority business owners and entrepreneurs as their companies grow, some even to the public markets.

These boot camps will be held virtually at first, kicking off in Fall 2020 with Detroit, where a new wave of entrepreneurism has flourished, supported by NYSE-listed companies. When in-person events are again possible, we will take them across the country.

One important effort we launched a year ago is the NYSE Board Advisory Council. This group, made up of the leaders of NYSE-listed companies, is dedicated to identifying and placing a diverse slate of potential directors on corporate boards. Boards set the tone for the companies they oversee, so this represents a tangible effort to tackle the issue of diversity by starting at the top of an organization.

In the past few weeks, the Board Advisory Council began working with Diligent Corporation, whose products are used by 60 percent of all Fortune 1000 companies, to plan a new virtual event series designed to help companies improve the diversity of their own boards.

This is just a start. I’ve spent the bulk of my career at the NYSE. The Exchange has always stood as a champion of free markets and an advocate for providing equal access to all investors. It is critical that we also play a role in creating a more equitable world, leveraging our skills and expertise in support of all those who face discrimination and unfair treatment.