Our time spent listening and reflecting may be just as important as our time taking action. That’s one of the takeaways from last week’s Virtual Voices on disparities and racial equity, the second part of an ongoing conversation.
Virtual Voices aims to keep Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation alums informed and engaged as our community works through this challenging time. Each virtual meeting brings together leaders on the front lines of impacted industries to share their knowledge, perspectives and leadership lessons.
On July 30, Priya Burkett, founder of Burkett Family Foundation, Rob Cohen, chairman & CEO of The IMA Financial Group, Inc., and Reggie Miller, vice president of global inclusion & diversity at VF Corporation, discussed vulnerability, grace and advocacy when it comes to advancing racial equity.
Check out our key takeaways and the video of the webinar below.
Take time to listen and learn. As we watch events unfold in our community and see the wrong taking place, our impulse may be to jump to action, but we should spend more time listening and learning to ensure we are taking actions that will have a long-term impact. Offer your employees a day of reflection, where they are released from their daily responsibilities to read, watch and think about the issues around racial equity.
Listening, learning and leading are the foundation of the CEO pledge, “Colorado Companies Uniting Against Racism.” This group of CEOs from companies, including Ball Corporation, Bank of America and HealthONE, have committed to standing against racism, reporting their progress and being held accountable. B:CIVIC, alongside the Denver Metro Chamber, Prosper Colorado, Inclusive Economy and other partners, are supporting companies to deliver on their commitments. Learn about the pledge.
Be vulnerable and show grace. None of us knows all the answers, and some of us are scared to speak up because we’re afraid we’ll get something wrong. This is hard messy work, and we must put ourselves in a vulnerable place. If you say the wrong thing, be open to learning why it was wrong. And have grace for each other. If you disagree with someone else or believe what they said was wrong, show compassion and help them see your point of view.
Advocate for someone else. Think about what you can do every day to advocate for someone who is different from you. Be the voice for equity – at work, in your community, at church or your child’s school. Systemic racism has prevented people from accessing the opportunities that may have come easily for you. Sponsor a person of color and open the doors they couldn’t open without you.
Additional resources from our speakers:
- B:CIVIC: Learn more about the CEO Pledge
- B:CIVIC: Combatting Racism Resources for Companies
- Take the Implicit Bias Test
- LinkedIn free course on Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging for All
- Denver Arts & Venues: DEI Initiative
- PBS: Race – The Power of Illusion
- The Management Center: Equity and Inclusion
- Explained: The Racial Wealth Gap
- Books:
- “How to be Antiracist” by Ibram X. Kendi
- “Stamped from the Beginning” by Ibram X. Kendi
- “Freakanomics” by Steven Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
- “So You Want to Talk About Race” by Ijeoma Oluo
- “Raising White Kids in a Racially Unjust America” by Jennifer Harvey
- “White Fragility” by Robin D’Angelo
- “I’m Still Here” by Austin Channing Brown
Join us for an upcoming Virtual Voices. Check out our upcoming programs.
- Virtual Voices: Back to School – 11 a.m. to noon, Aug. 13
- Virtual Voices: Race in the Workplace – 11 a.m. to noon, Aug. 27
