Advancing Racial Equity

As part of our broader mission, JUST is engaged in a multi-year initiative to track and advance racial equity in corporate America by providing market participants with the tools and resources they need to incentivize action and build a more just and inclusive economy. This ongoing work includes establishing the Corporate Racial Equity Alliance along with partners PolicyLink and FSG, polling the public to elevate their voice and priorities, developing racial equity reporting standards and recommendations for corporate leaders, tracking corporate actions and best practices, producing research and analysis to reveal the ongoing state of play as well as the business and investor case for continued action, as well as collaborating with investors to incentivize investments in companies leading the way.

Tracking Diversity and Equity at America’s Largest Companies

In April 2021, JUST Capital launched a comprehensive Tracker of how the largest public U.S. employers are advancing racial equity within their workplaces and their communities – providing a clear picture of disclosure on 22 key measures of diversity, equity, and inclusion, from workforce demographics to pay equity to anti-discrimination policies.

• The 2022 Corporate Racial Equity Tracker
• The 2021 Corporate Racial Equity Tracker
• How Companies Like IBM and CVS Are Showing That New Apprenticeship and Training Models are Drivers of Racial Equity
• Companies Like GM, Target, and UPS Are Showing Why Community Investment is Critical to Advancing Racial Equity
• A Growing Number of Companies Are Recognizing the Benefits of Racially Diverse Boards
• Pay Equity Analysis Is a Critical Step to Advancing Racial Equity in Corporate America
• Companies Committed to Advancing Racial Equity Need to Have a Response to Mass Incarceration
• A Running Tally of How Companies Are Advancing Racial Equity
• Corporate America, if You Want to Honor Your Commitment to Racial Equity, Now Is the Time to Embrace Transparency

Providing a Blueprint for Corporate Action

In July 2021, JUST Capital – along with partners PolicyLink and FSG – launched the Corporate Racial Equity Alliance, a new initiative that supports corporate leaders looking to build antiracist, equitable practices into their companies’ operations, ultimately contributing toward a more just and equitable economy for all Americans. As part of this ongoing collaboration, we’ve released the 2021 CEO Blueprint for Racial Equity – building on our first iteration released in July 2020 – which provides a robust guide for C-suite leaders as they approach racial equity work and tackle systemic racism across three key domains of corporate influence:

Over the course of the next several years the partners will continue to evolve the Blueprint and develop new racial equity reporting standards. Those new standards around how to track and report progress in advancing racial equity will be featured in future iterations of JUST’s Corporate Racial Equity Tracker to continue to incentivize action toward a more just future.

• The Corporate Racial Equity Alliance
• 2021 CEO Blueprint for Racial Equity
• 2020 CEO Blueprint for Racial Equity
• Corporate Insights Into The CEO Blueprint For Racial Equity
• Ben & Jerry’s Co-Founders, Former Patagonia CEO, and PolicyLink Explain How Corporate Leaders Should Approach Racial Equity Work
• What Companies Can Do to Combat Systemic Racism Against Black Colleagues in the Workplace
• Corporate America: Speaking Up on Systemic Racism Is Only the First Step. Now Let’s Act.

Polling the Public

“Cultivates a diverse and inclusive workplace with equal opportunity” has been one the top five issues for the public for the last several years in our annual survey work, and more than half of respondents agreed that this issue became more important in 2020 than in the year prior, demonstrating racial equity should be a significant part of defining just business behavior. We continue explore and lift up the public’s voice on this critical issue through ongoing public opinion research:

• 95% of Black Americans Agree That It’s Important for Companies to Promote Racial Equity. 80% Believe They Can Do More.
• Black Americans Have Spoken: Corporations Must Maintain Racial Equity as a Priority and Continue Taking Action
• The American Public Wants Companies to Take Action on Advancing Racial Equity – Especially Black Americans

Analyzing Diversity Data and EEO-1 Reports

While the EEO-1 Report is not a panacea for diversity, it is the gold standard and the first best step we have to understand the state of representation in corporate America today. Explore into our ongoing analysis here:

• Beyond Demographic Disclosure The State of Gender and Racial Representation at America’s Largest Companies
• A Small Fraction of Companies Share Diversity Data, but Disclosure Is Rapidly on the Rise
• With Racial Equity an Increasing Focus, Corporate America Needs a Common Standard for Demographic Disclosure
• How Momentum Around EEO-1 Report Disclosure Took Off and Why Companies Should Disclose the Form to Help Advance Racial Equity
• Why EEO-1 Disclosure Is a Way to Hold Companies Accountable for Racial Equity Commitments
• How Business Roundtable Companies Have Responded to Four Critical Issues Advancing Racial Equity in the Workplace

Activating and Collaborating with Investors

Over the last two years, JUST has been ramping up collaborations with investors to incentivize disclosures – including work with NYC retirement systems on EEO-1 disclosures and with Illinois and Connecticut State Treasureres on board diversity data disclosures – as well as drive investments towards companies leading the way.

• How Corporate Transparency on Racial Equity is Driving Investment Decisions
• Natixis Investment Managers’ AIA Racial Equity Portfolios, utilizing JUST data
• Chart of the Week: Industry Leaders Are Embracing the “Gold Standard” of Diversity Disclosure
• Chart of the Week: Companies Embracing Full Disclosure of Workforce Diversity Continue to Outperform Peers
• Chart of the Week: Companies That Embrace Full Disclosure on Workforce Diversity Outperform Their Peers

Committing to Racial Equity at JUST

In all of our areas of focus, JUST Capital aims to practice what we preach – and following the events of summer 2020, JUST Capital made a statement in support of Black Lives Matter and announced a series of actionable commitments to fostering greater racial equity in our own workplace, from auditing the demographic composition of our workforce to conducting a pay equity analysis to diversifying our board. We will share our progress on these commitments in summer 2021.

Showcasing Leadership & Additional Analysis

• What Does Representation Look LIke for Black and Brown Employees at 17 of America’s Largest Companies?
• Breaking the Silence on Racial Injustice Is the First Step. The Next Is Disclosing Workforce Demographics
• Black Women Have Long Been Champions of Stakeholder Capitalism at America’s Largest Companies – Here are 9 Currently Leading the Way
• Activist DeRay McKesson: If You Take Black Lives Matter Seriously, Now Is the Time to Step Up As a Corporate Citizen
• Companies Making Racial Equity Commitments Must Consider Their Environmental Impact on Marginalized Communities
• These Are the Corporate Responses to the George Floyd Protests That Stand Out
• Unfinished: Creating an Economy That Can Work for All
• Why companies must address systemic inequalities in the workplace