When diversity isn’t enough: Building the case for inclusion

Beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 was marked by difficult—but much-needed—conversations around racial inequality and systemic discrimination in America. The Black Lives Matter movement catapulted these discussions into the spotlight as activists urged for broad and sweeping change and forced many business leaders to examine how impactful their diversity and inclusion initiatives really are. If leaders want to enact real change, it must begin with implementing strategies that encourage equality at all levels—from race to gender and sexual orientation.

In corporate America, the Black Lives Matter movement forced talent leaders to reexamine their diversity and inclusion initiatives. Business leaders from top organizations felt the pressure from stakeholders and the public to step up and take action, resulting in senior executives like Nike CEO John Donahoe vowing to make additional efforts to create a more diverse and inclusive culture. Other businesses pledged additional actions and funding to support Black communities. Netflix allocated 2% of its cash holdings into financial institutions and organizations that directly support Black communities in the U.S.

In addition to issues around race, the pandemic also put a national spotlight on the gender gap that continues to persist in our workforce, including the fact that women have lost 5.4 million net jobs during the past year. In fact, women have lost 1 million more jobs than men during the coronavirus crisis, prompting the coining of the phrase “she-cession” to highlight the workforce challenges women are facing. If only to further highlight the combination of racial and gender disparity, women of color have faced the biggest job losses and been forced to leave the workforce in the largest numbers during the pandemic. Black, Hispanic and Asian women accounted for all the jobs lost in December 2020, according to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.