Fierce Urgency of Now with Boston’s Business Leaders, June 12, 2020

“We have… come to… remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

In a country already upended by the COVID-19 pandemic, we face the cruel and ever-present realities of racism and inequalities on the national stage. Our action is necessary and we need to become fiercer advocates and allies to our Black friends, families, coworkers, and community. Over the past weeks, through written and spoken word as well as in the protests we have seen here and across the country, we have heard reflections that honestly bear witness to some of the disparities that affect our Black and Brown colleagues and businesses across our Commonwealth.

We took a critical and purposeful pause to convene business leaders in Greater Boston who will bring authentic perspective on what it means to truly drive change for our region. We urge you all to participate in a dialogue that respects the need to listen and reflect but begins to move the conversation onward to actions the business community can take to create a path forward.

Thank you to our panelists:
Anna Foster, A Maven’s World
Lee Pelton, PhD, Emerson College
Andrew Dreyfus, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
Malia Lazu, Berkshire Bank
Marcy L. Reed, National Grid
Keith Chaney, City Sealcoating, Inc.
Sheena Collier, The Collier Connection
Glynn Lloyd, Foundation for Business Equity
Ronald P. O’Hanley, State Street Corporation
Gary Coombe, P&G Gillette Grooming
Marianne Harrison, John Hancock
Herby Durverné, Windwalker Group, Inc.

Moderated by Micho F. Spring of Weber Shandwick
Closing reflections offered by Paul Ayoub of Nutter

Learn more about our Pacesetters initiative and commit to increasing your diversity supplier spend today:
https://www.bostonchamber.com/economic-opportunity/pacesetters/

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