Institutional Change and Accountability

Introduction In the four decades since the passage of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin, many changes have occured in the American workplace. Yet, gender and racial segregation in companies persists along with professional environments that are hostile to women,…

Introduction A byproduct of the global viewing of the ruthless killing of George Floyd by police officer Derek Chauvin was the proliferation of new racial equity/anti-racism statements, plans, and initiatives by businesses and organizations. Witnessing the public recording of police brutality/police violence forced many individuals and corporations to confront the fact that systemic racism exists…

Introduction A board of directors is a crucial aspect of an organization’s leadership. Members are instrumental in shaping a company’s mission, goals, and financial success. Historically in Western culture, seats on boards of directors have been largely homogeneously dominated by those who have held political and economic power in those societies – white men.  This…

Introduction How school leaders discuss, or avoid discussing, race and racism is consequential to students’ educational experiences. “Race talk” is a term used to describe communication individuals use to discuss race and racism. In the context of education, “race talk” is when teachers speak explicitly about race and racism, as opposed to avoiding discussion of…

Introduction Over the last two decades, the fields of diversity training and diversity education have become critical components of organizations and academic settings. Just as organizations develop antiracism policies and employee training, management programs have also expanded their diversity management educational offerings. Diversity training refers to the specialized field devoted to ad hoc training in…

INTRODUCTION Since 2020 we have seen more employers establish diversity programs to promote values of diversity within an organization. Yet, few have acknowledged existing research that has challenged the implementation and efficacy of diversity programs at the managerial and staff levels.  This summary examines this earlier research by focusing on one study to show that…

Introduction By 2039, a majority of the U.S. workforce will identify as members of nonwhite race-based minoritized groups. Yet, despite this growing workplace diversity, these demographic shifts have not yet been reflected in the makeup of either for-profit or nonprofit boards. One study in 2013 found that across all Fortune 500 companies, board members were…

Introduction As principles of diversity and inclusion become more explicit within Corporate America, there remains a discrepancy between commitments to and actualization of racial parity in corporations, particularly among corporate leadership. In this article, the authors evaluate corporate policies and contrast legally enforceable Affirmative Action policies that acknowledge the history and disparate impacts of slavery…

Introduction In the US, a college degree is a prerequisite for access to many middle-class and high-paying jobs. Yet, the social and economic payoff of a college degree is racialized, as evidenced by the highest economic disparities across races existing within the college-educated middle class. Relatedly, a growing body of research recognizes that the burdens…

Schools with a greater proportional enrollment of Black students are less likely to use restorative justice techniques when responding to student misbehavior.  Introduction Many public schools rely on punitive models of student discipline, employing harsh, exclusionary punishments like detentions, suspensions, and expulsion in response to student misbehavior. Research has shown that students who receive these…