FAQ's
As we learn more about the experiences of Black people in our country, it’s clear that things need to change in order to advance racial equity. Effective CEOs need to lead and address social injustices in a consequential way — not just in our workplaces, but in society. We officially launched CEO Action for Racial Equity on October 1, 2020 after realizing the need for a business-led initiative driving racial equity in the public policy arena. The Fellowship’s vision is to improve the quality of life for the 47M+ Black Americans in our country through advocacy and advancement of solutions that seek to end systemic racism. While CEOARE initially launched with a two-year commitment, in our first year alone we built a meaningful platform for policy change and corporate engagement. CEOARE received overwhelming feedback from our signatory organizations, CEOs, Fellows and community stakeholders that there remains much work to be done. We are thrilled to continue this work for an additional two years, through October 2024, beyond our initial commitment.
The Fellowship is the largest business-led initiative aimed at advancing racial equity through public policy. It brings together more than 100 companies across the business community — across industries and regions — to enact change. Its strength comes from the powerful network and reach of organizations who are not just observing change, they are committed to be a part of it, together. An important part of this is our Fellows — the diverse talent that CEOs have lent from their respective organizations who come with a strong passion and purpose to achieve our mission.
Organized into teams that align with their expertise and interests, Fellows researched hundreds of potential policy solutions following CEO Action for Racial Equity’s launch in 2020. Their work was guided by data-driven insights on racial inequities and by the expertise of our Black Community Council, which consists of leading community organizations at the forefront of addressing deeply rooted disparities. The Fellows explored where CEO Action for Racial Equity can amplify the collective voice of our 100+ organizations to influence the policy landscape and drive lasting change.
Today, the CEOARE agenda revolves around four platforms that are vital to advancing equity and well-being for the Black community – economic empowerment, education and opportunity, healthy communities, and public safety. With these platforms as the foundation of our policy advocacy and corporate engagement, CEOARE unites 100+ signatory companies to drive impact across:
- 6 priority issues that disproportionately and systemically impact the Black community
- 4 cities where our place-based approach connects stakeholders and builds community relationships
- 3 states where we are expanding our advocacy at a local level by building relationships with local decision-makers and leveraging our collective network to make progress
- 3 corporate engagement strategies that can help mobilize the business community to continue to help drive change
In our first year alone, our Fellows engaged 240+ policymakers, organizations, strategic collaborators and community leaders to raise awareness and amplify our mission. Together, we advocated for legislative and policy-driven solutions to address our country’s most challenging racial disparities, including food equity, early childhood education and the digital divide. As a result, CEOARE has built a reputation for being a methodical, data-driven thought leader with an established platform to put corporate values into action and affect real change on critical issues facing our nation.
From data specialists and lawyers to human resources and government relations professionals, the diverse backgrounds, skillsets and perspectives of the Fellows — paired with the support from their home organizations — puts the Fellowship in a unique position to carry out our mission and have a real impact. Through CEOARE, Fellows gain value-added transferable skills, knowledge and insights, as well as an in-depth understanding of the history of both policy and societal challenges.
Once assigned to a platform team, Fellows spend their time on activities that may include researching new policy areas, conducting meetings with community groups or non-profit organizations to inform our work, developing communication tools and opinions on proposals, facilitating the sharing of practices among organizations, and more.
Having gained new insights into the challenges society faces and innovative solutions to address them, the ripple effect of CEOARE will continue as Fellows return to their home organizations ready to apply all they’ve learned to their company’s DEI and sustainability commitments and ongoing efforts to improve society for everyone.
While CEOs, not-for-profit and university leaders are working to create more inclusive workplaces through CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion, the CEO Action for Racial Equity Fellows focus on advancing public policy to address racial disparities in the Black community. They are focused on four key areas of our societal well-being: economic empowerment, education, healthcare and public safety. To drive sustainable and systemic change, our Fellows work closely with community organizations, subject matter specialists, NGOs, public and private foundations and policy makers at the local, state and federal level.