MIT Sloan Management Review Article on Organizations Cannot Afford to Stay Silent on Racial Injustice

Your words and actions can make a difference in the world — and matter to your employees and customers.

In May 2020, after the killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, and the release of a video of a white woman making a false police report about Chris Cooper, a Black man, America’s attention became focused on a plague that has troubled the nation for centuries. Racism and racial discrimination are deeply woven into the fabric of America, and the consequences of both are inequality and, too often, untimely death for Black Americans.

It is critical for leaders to engage with the issue of racism and discrimination, both because of its effect on employees and in order to demonstrate their genuine commitment to diversity and human rights.

About the Author

Enrica N. Ruggs (@enruggs) is an assistant professor of management and the director of the Center for Workplace Diversity and Inclusion in the Fogelman College of Business and Economics at the University of Memphis. Derek R. Avery is the C.T. Bauer Chair of Inclusive Leadership in the Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston.

Learn more about MIT SMR.