Showing Up For Racial Justice
As the past few years have starkly revealed, today’s world is one of complexities, inequities, and deep structural challenges. Political extremism, economic instability, growing wealth inequality, and severe climate change impacts are all compounding factors, but increasingly the world is understanding that racism sits at the center of virtually all of these issues. Regardless of what you most care about - climate, public health, education, human rights - without progress on racial justice, we cannot progress on any other front.
Even as we celebrate Juneteenth’s designation as a federal holiday, we know there is much work to be done. We’re faced with hard questions on what has been accomplished since our nation coalesced in protest against the senseless murder of George Floyd, rooted in racism and injustice. Overturning 400 years of systemic oppression of Black, Indigenous and other People of Color must become the task of our generation and we’ve recognized that the world’s 100+ million businesses, sitting at the interface of employment, opportunity, and quality of life, have an unparalleled chance to drive needed change.
Once again, the B Corp community is stepping up and showing up, acknowledging its blind spots, listening and learning, and working to advance an anti-racist agenda throughout its multiple areas of impact. As part of that effort, Council Fire, B Lab (the organization behind the B Corp standard), and other B Corp leaders participated in Hella Social Impact’s Hella Intensive, a six-week anti-racist intensive action cohort designed to equip businesses with the tools to Notice, Name and Dismantle racial injustice.
We’ve long understood that our company's goals of driving positive environmental and social impacts and creating an economy that works for all simply cannot be achieved without racial justice, but like most, we’ve struggled with how best to more directly incorporate racial justice into our work. Now, by partnering with organizations like Hella Social Impact and our fellow B Corps, we’re actively uplifting others while also collectively mobilizing the power of our community to systemically advance racial equity, climate justice, and a stakeholder-driven economic system that benefits all people and the planet. The future of business rests squarely on the shoulders of those who will show up for racial justice and work to dismantle all forms of social injustices. Join us on the journey.