STATEMENT: Business & Civil Rights Leaders Applaud the Congressional Black Caucus’s Report on Corporate Accountability

[WASHINGTON] 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.

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 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 make 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 U.S 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 Chief Executive Officer 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 and CEO National Veteran Business Development Council (NVBDC)   Marc H. Morial President & CEO National Urban League   Justin G. Nelson Co-Founder and 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)