CBC Chair Rep. Steven Horsford stressed companies are falling victim to ‘far-right actors who are attempting to bully corporate America.’
The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) has released a new diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) report aimed at guiding corporations in improving workplace policies and urging them to reaffirm their commitment to racial justice, according to the Associated Press.
“DEI is now under attack, but the response from corporate America has been overwhelming.”
“I was appalled by the decision,” NBFA’s President and Founder, John Boyd Jr., said in a statement at the time.
“I see this as rolling back the clock with race relations—because the country is so divided on race, especially in rural America.”
According to U.S. News & World Report, the CBC study outlines 12 categories where corporations can zone in on expanding DEI efforts and help close the gap within racial wealth. Guidance for workplace culture, data disaggregation, talent opportunities, retention rates, pay equity, and procurement policies are just some of the issues identified in the study.
Corporations were invited to “collaborate legislatively” to develop laws that “create perpetual accountability for corporate America, help close this massive gap of inequality, and support the values of our caucus,” Horsford pointed out, adding that the high court’s historic ruling does not correlate with corporate DEI policies. Hence, the policies should still be in place.
He said corporations shouldn’t fall victim to “far-right actors who are attempting to bully corporate America.”
Fifty CEOs met directly with the CBC, while other companies responded with letters and questionnaires from lawmakers.
“There is nothing under the law that is illegal or unconstitutional about corporations advancing DEI policies. I commend the corporations that answered our call,” Horsford stressed. “We are now giving the roadmap for what good looks like.”
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Source: Black Enterprise