Business leaders have a duty to address racial inequality by developing a diverse workforce, creating diverse boards of directors and hiring more Black-owned suppliers and contractors, said Tom Bracken, president of the N.J. Chamber of Commerce, and John Harmon, president of the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey during a webinar on June 29. The webinar featuring the two Chamber leaders, was a follow-up to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's June 25 'Summit on Equality of Opportunity.'
Quotes from the Webinar
“We have an economic crisis, health crisis and racial strife peaking at the same time, and that is daunting. But any time you have this kind of adversity, there is opportunity. If we waste this opportunity, it is just unconscionable.”
Tom Bracken, president and CEO, NJ Chamber of Commerce
“We talk about the entitlement spend and subsidies to underperforming communities. A capitalized Black-owned company will hire Black people and reduce the unemployment in those communities. This is an opportunity to get together and do something that can be transformational.”
John Harmon, president and CEO, African American Chamber of Commerce of NJ
“We recognize there are many people in our state who have not been given the opportunities that many others have. They need the opportunity to succeed. Economically, it is beneficial to the state, socially, it is beneficial to the state, and morally, it is the right thing to do.”
Tom Bracken
“We have acknowledged that there is work to be done. It is success when we have men and women in the business community who respond to the challenge and say, ‘We are committed to moving from one Black on our board to two or three Blacks on our board, from zero Black contractors to two, three, five or ten.’ We have a huge opportunity to answer a lot of unanswered questions as to why there are such disparities in the state.”
John Harmon