The Impact of George Floyd on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

(these views are my own)

Keith Birmingham took this photo of the artist Celos, painting a mural of George Floyd in Los Angeles.

The murder of George Floyd was the nexus point that changed everything with DEI in 2020 – it changed most of us, personally and professionally.

Personally, many took to the streets globally in solidarity with Black people to protest racial violence. They looked at where they needed to shore up DEI within themselves and how they could be more effective allies.

Professionally, some companies started to realize these external events affected employee well-being and productivity, and started something different. Some held listening sessions to hold space for the sharing lived experiences. Some further examined the employee experience and identified the systemic and contributing factors leading to negative experiences. Some committed to improve the experience of BIPOC employees by investing more in sourcing, development, advancement and community partnerships. This work is in its infancy stage, and this will be a long road as it is complex and systemic. Change doesn’t happen overnight.

That said, we are further ahead than where we were a year ago, because more people opened up their hearts and minds on racism and DEI…propelled by the desire to shape a future that is truly reflective of belonging.

Though there is a lot of hope and promise with this progress, it came to be from a loss of life. Over racial violence. A loss of life that was so senseless and devastating for his family, loved ones and many others. Many came before him, many will come after him and continue to do so unless we change. Let’s unify our collective energy to drive this change, whether it be in our families, communities or beyond.