Looking for Hope on Martin Luther King Jr. Day

The images and footage we’ve witnessed since the violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol Building have been jarring reminders of the deadly, painful, enduring threat of white supremacy. I cannot shake the image of men marching the halls of Congress carrying Confederate flags – hateful symbols of racism, the same flags white supremacists have carried while lynching and terrorizing Black Americans. The pain is compounded by the racial injustice exposed once again over the past year, whether by the COVID-19 pandemic or the response to peaceful protests for Black lives.

But there is another image I cannot shake. A reporter captured video of Eugene Goodman, a Black Capitol Police officer and Army veteran, risk his life to lead the mob away from the Senate chamber. He realized the chamber was not secure, and he immediately diverted the rioters away and up the stairs, leading a chase – a white mob in pursuit of a Black man.

Officer Goodman reminds me of the countless Black Americans who have risked their own lives – and those whose lives were ripped away – in the face of brutal racism. From the voting rights marches of the Civil Rights Movement to the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, Black Americans keep standing up for justice in America even when that dream feels beyond reach.

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we honor a man who gave his life leading that march toward peace and justice. When Dr. King received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, he said, “Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon. Indeed, it is a weapon unique in history, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it.” I believe there has never been a more important time to celebrate his unyielding commitment to nonviolence and the path he paved toward justice.

Even when we must reckon once again with the threat of white supremacy, I see reasons to remain hopeful. I see it in millions of Americans who used their right to vote to elect a new President and choose a different course. I see it in Georgia, where voters elected Rev. Raphael Warnock, senior pastor of Dr. King’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, to the Senate – the state’s first Black senator. And I see it in the bravery of people like Eugene Goodman.

For many years, and especially in the days since the attack, I have thought a great deal about my responsibility as a mother and a white woman in this country. Black people have had to carry the heavy burden of our country’s progress for so long, and when I look inward, I know I must do more. Dr. King’s example, and the people he has inspired across decades, reminds me of the power each of us has to realize change within our own communities and organizations, step-by-step. We don’t have to look far for opportunities to champion peace and justice where we live and work.

For me, as a Chief People Officer, that means continuing to build an ever-more inclusive, equitable and diverse company at WPP, fostering a culture in which all our colleagues feel a deep sense belonging – not just safe and welcome, but celebrated and cherished. 

Last year, WPP set out our commitments to combat racial injustice and support Black and minority ethnic talent. This includes taking decisive action on each of the 12 points in the “Call For Change” open letter to the industry from more than 1,200 Black advertising professionals, completing a fundamental review of our hiring, retention, promotion and development practices, and publishing our racial diversity data. We are using our voice to fight racism and advance the cause of racial equality, and we are investing $30 million over the next three years to fund inclusion programs within WPP and to support external organizations.

We’ve made initial progress toward these commitments by establishing our new Global Inclusion Council to advise on inclusion and diversity, not just from an employee perspective, but also in our client work. We have launched our mandatory Belonging at WPP inclusion training for all-staff globally and we have created more space for honest conversations – from our Safe Room series to our Conscious Inclusion training program – all to raise our awareness of unconscious biases and help embed diversity, equity and inclusion into everything we do. Our People Teams around the world have received training to help them have difficult conversations about race in the workplace. We are rolling out new tools like TapRecruit to ensure more inclusive recruitment practices, and we are excited to partner with The One Club for Creativity to support young Black talent. We also launched NextGen Leaders, a 10-week virtual program to provide college students and interns with the opportunity to learn, grow and collaborate with the brightest minds across WPP and the industry. Last year’s cohort included 55% people of color.

The recent weeks have shown us all just how important it is to recommit ourselves to this work daily. I know that much more must be done. We will update our people regularly on the action we take. Beyond our organizations, we can continue our personal journeys, too. If I can offer one suggestion for an inspiring step today, visit the King Center website, read about the 6 Principles and 6 Steps of Nonviolence, and think about how to apply them on your life day-to-day.

As the King Center describes, the Beloved Community was Dr. King’s “global vision, in which all people can share in the wealth of the earth.” We cannot ignore the forces that would stop us from realizing the Beloved Community. Dr. King showed us how to stand up for peace with the power of nonviolent resistance. Let’s honor this day in his spirit, with resolve and action in the name of justice.