With the majority of Americans looking for corporate America to take a stand against racism and advance societal issues, now is the time to take definitive action. As a first-of-its-kind, business-led initiative, CEO Action for Racial Equity is galvanizing the business community to step up and support policies — at the federal, state and local levels — that advance racial equity, address social injustice and improve societal well-being. In collaboration with grassroots organizations and communities across the United States, we are focusing on issues that disproportionately and systemically impact Black Americans. Here’s our issue agenda and how we, collectively, can move toward a more equitable society.
Our Issue Agenda
Closing the Digital Divide
The Digital Divide is heavily interwoven with issues of race, education and poverty…with affordability and access to the Internet being a legacy problem that disproportionately affects Black Americans.
Racism: A Public Health Crisis
A growing body of research shows that centuries of racism has had a profoundly negative impact on Black Americans’ morbidity, mortality and quality of life — also creating unequal access to a range of social and economic benefits.
Law Enforcement Transparency and Accountability
There are 18,000 law enforcement agencies in the country, each managing their own misconduct records. The lack of centralized, accessible and transparent information on police misconduct and terminations provide opportunities for officers disciplined or fired for misconduct to be rehired by other states and municipalities. In addition, costly misconduct settlements divert public funds from essential public services and result in municipalities taking on more debt to pay for the legal settlements through “police brutality” bonds. New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles have spent $2.4bn on misconduct settlements over a 10-year period.
Expanding Access to Telehealth
In 2018, 5.4% of physicians were Black, representing just an increase of 4 percentage points since the beginning of the 20th century. Telehealth can help bridge access barriers.
A Path Toward Greater Food Equity
Black Americans experience food insecurity at twice the rate of white households. As disparities widen, access to healthy food is crucial.
Equity and Excellence in Early Childhood Education
Every dollar spent on high-quality, birth-to-five programs for children can deliver an annual 13% return on investment from better education and health outcomes for children, employment gains for parents, greater economic productivity, and reduced spending on healthcare and crime. Without reliable access to ECE, Black parents and guardians cannot fully participate in the workforce, limiting their ability to accumulate wealth.
Decriminalizing Poverty: Fines, Fees and Cash Bail
The criminalization of poverty takes many forms. Every day, 470,000 Americans – 43%* of whom are Black – sit in jail presumed innocent awaiting trial, mostly due to an inability to afford bail. The US suspends and revokes driver’s licenses for unpaid fees and fines, making it impossible for more than 7 million people to conduct their daily lives. It contributes to families’ unending cycles of debt and jails people over an inability to pay fees, fines and court costs. Decriminalizing poverty means addressing all these issues through policy reform and reinvestments in the programs and services that individuals need to overcome poverty and secure financial stability.
*Bureau of Justice Statistics. Survey of Inmates in Local Jails, 2020.
Expanding Economic Opportunity Through CDFIs
Without access to affordable financial services, many Black Americans cannot access affordable homes, capital to start businesses or opportunities to build credit. CDFIs provide a critical on ramp to these services. There are currently only 1,200 CDFIs across the country.
Our Social Contracts
The business community has the opportunity to be part of the solution in addressing systemic racism and social injustice. By bringing corporate values to life and leveraging incredible talent and reach, corporate America can help create real change.
Place-Based Approach
CEOARE’s Place-based approach acknowledges the strengths, assets, and leadership in communities across the US with a focus on driving policy change at the local level. Starting in Oakland, California, Detroit, Michigan and Birmingham, Alabama we’re teaming with local organizations to address intersectional opportunities across health, public safety, education, and economic empowerment. Place-based work takes an approach that centers on the communities they are intended to impact. By identifying work already in flight, partnering with local organizations, and bringing corporate resources together to accelerate impact, we will be able to better develop a shared vision and response to the systemic issues in the target cities.
Our vision for success is to create a lasting impact in the communities we have identified to serve. The Fellowship has identified several target cities where we believe we will have the greatest opportunity to affect outcomes.
Click here to learn more about our approach in targeted cities and our progress to date.
