Companies Nod to Racial Injustice in Latest Earnings Calls
Not just pledging to improve corporate diversity, some leaders called out systemic racism and violence.
Photographer: Scott Olson/Getty Images
The push to end racial injustice is spreading from the street to the boardroom, with many leaders of U.S. public companies using second-quarter earnings calls to acknowledge the persistence of systemic racism and to vow to make their own organizations more inclusive.
Larry Fink, chief executive officer of BlackRock Inc., the world’s largest asset manager, said on the company’s earnings call that it is “making a long-term commitment to build a more inclusive, a more diverse firm.” Ally Financial Inc. CEO Jeffrey Brown said on his company’s call that “systemic racism has prevailed for far too long” and that Ally would promote diversity from the top down.