WASHINGTON, DC (September 10, 2024) – Today, business and civil rights leaders are reacting to the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) report on corporate accountability.
A group of 18 business and civil rights leaders signed on to a statement applauding the CBC and the companies that participated in this first accountability assessment. These leaders called on companies to stand firm in their dedication to diverse and inclusive business practices because it creates value for the companies and ensures national competitiveness. You can read the full statement below.
STATEMENT:
We commend the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) for urging Fortune 500 corporate leaders to stay the course and documenting the continued commitment of leading companies in the United States to diversity, inclusion, and opportunity. These commitments are imperative for business success and our national competitiveness.
The CBC’s leadership is crucial at this moment. Companies are facing unprecedented, baseless legal and political attacks designed to intimidate them into retreating from their diverse and inclusive workplace and supplier diversity efforts. Unfortunately, we have seen a small number of companies cave to these threats.
The CBC’s corporate accountability repoThe CBC’s corporate accountability report, however, highlights that hundreds of companies remain committed to their diverse and inclusive practices, which create economic value. The 12 practices highlighted in the report provide a strong foundation for establishing a standard for good business. Companies recognize that diversity is not only a smart business strategy but also leverages the diversity and opportunity that makes this country strong.
As a group of business and civil rights leaders, we are dedicated to fostering economic growth, free market competition, and opportunities for all, including diverse entrepreneurs and businesses. Companies must stand firm in their dedication to diversity and inclusion and resist baseless, unwarranted attacks. Our country will remain competitive only if all Americans, regardless of their characteristics, have equal opportunities to participate.
We stand with the CBC and the companies that participated in this first accountability assessment. We encourage the Caucus to make this an annual effort to support the business community’s continued commitment to advancing fair and inclusive business practices that are good for competition, innovation, and the bottom line.
Sincerely,
Ron Busby, Sr.
President & CEO, US Black Chambers, Inc. (USBC)
Ramiro A. Cavazos
President & CEO, United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC)
Angela Dingle
President & CEO, Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP)
Tammy Halevy
Executive Director, Reimagine Main Street
Derrick Johnson
President & CEO, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
Ying McGuire
CEO & President, National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC)
Dedrick Asante-Muhammad
President, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies
Pamela Prince-Eason
President & CEO, Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC)
Samantha Tweedy
CEO, Black Economic Alliance
Rhett Buttle
President, Public Private Strategies Institute (PPSI)
Alphonso David
President & CEO, Global Black Economic Forum
Jen Earle
CEO, National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO)
Jill Houghton
President & CEO, Disability: IN
Keith King
Founder & CEO, National Veteran Business Development Council (NVBDC)
Marc H. Morial
President & CEO, National Urban League
Justin G. Nelson
Co-Founder & President, National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC)
Chiling Tong
President & CEO, National Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce & Entrepreneurship (National ACE)
Eboni Wimbush
President & CEO, Airport Minority Advisory Council (AMAC)