Anti-Racism Work + Commitments: A Mission Forward Business Leaders Roundtable

Season 2Long FormDiversity Inclusion and Accessibility
Written By Kristine Neil
 

About This Episode

A few weeks back, we reached out to a group of CEOs and business leaders with a very big request: join Carrie and Alex Orfinger, publisher of the Washington Business Journal, for an honest, on-the-record, uncomfortable conversation about the anti-racist commitments and statements we have made over the last twelve months, and assess our progress against those commitments.

The conversation comes at an interesting moment. Just days after the one-year anniversary of COVID-19 being declared a pandemic, and as hate crimes against the Asian American and pacific islander community and, in particular, hate crimes against Asian American seniors have been on the rise. What’s more, the conversation was recorded just hours before a gunman killed eight people, including six Asian American women in Atlanta, Georgia.

Our framework: We have each carried a unique responsibility during this time; to care for the health of our employees, while managing and protecting the health of our businesses. The intertwined nature of events from this past year have meant that we must consider the culture of business differently. We must think about the weight of the world’s events on our teams in ways we likely haven’t considered them before.

This was an actionable conversation and not a comfortable one. It is not comfortable to be called to grow. It is not comfortable to stretch beyond the habits and tendencies with which we have become complacent. It is not comfortable to go beyond ourselves. Each guest this week came into this space with a spirit of self-examination, accountability, and a willingness to examine how businesses like ours can contribute to more inclusive, and equitable workplaces for all people.

Here we are, to think about where we are, where our sectors are, and where we must go to ensure that the racial reckoning so many business leaders are engaging isn’t a fleeting moment, but a movement for justice. With that, you’ve made it to the final episode of our second season. We hope this conversation, like others this season, gets you thinking, acting, and pressing forward.

Participants:

Kristine Neil

Fractional Web Partner

I'm Kristine Neil - a communications strategist who has spent 20+ years designing websites, first running a full-scale design and marketing agency, and now leading my own studio. I've been the creative director managing the work, the coder quietly fixing what others couldn't, and the strategist in the room asking why before how. Somewhere between the MBA and the other degrees, I decided web design was just one tool in a much bigger toolbox - the real work is figuring out what you're trying to say, who needs to hear it, and what's getting in the way. A website is just where all of that comes to life.

I mostly build on Squarespace, and after years deep in the platform I know how far it can go and when to push past its limits. These days, I'm especially drawn to working as a fractional partner - getting to know an organization over time and helping with whatever moves them forward, whether that's a full redesign, an ongoing hand with content and strategy, or just being the person who knows their site best. I write here about AI, UX, eCommerce, web strategy, and making the complex feel a little more human.

Contact Me

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The Writing on the Wall
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