As a follow-up to "DEI Under Attack," this panel will discuss transformative programs, technologies and approaches that are driving equity and creating opportunities for people of color. Our panelists will share insights across their various sectors and share examples of what has worked, pinpoint challenging areas, and provide concrete guidance on how we can create and sustain a path to equity.
Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1
Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:
https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript
Stay Connected
Forbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.com
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com
Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.
Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1
Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:
https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript
Stay Connected
Forbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.com
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com
Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00Exquisite architecture, meticulous attention to detail, outstanding craftsmanship.
00:13Mercedes-Maybach has long been synonymous with the very pinnacle of luxury.
00:17Now, the automotive legend adds a new word to its lexicon – electric.
00:23Mercedes-Maybach, lead the charge.
00:32Now for our next conversation, please welcome back Allie Jackson Jolly and panelists Erika
00:39J. Bolden, Head of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and People Analytics, Mercedes-Benz USA, and
00:47Ryan Williams, Founder and CEO, Cadre.
00:56And so those of you who were there this morning know that we started the day off talking about
01:01DEI, the attack on DEI, and we had some powerhouses up here, Stacey Abrams, Dr. Joy Moon, Ayanna
01:12Parsons talking about what's the plan, what can we do individually to push back against
01:20that attack on DEI when it comes to government, when it comes to legal, but part two of that,
01:29we wanted to have some different powerhouses up here to talk about, from a corporate business
01:36perspective, what's going on with DEI, what are the business leaders who are driving equity
01:45through innovation doing, and that we wanted to provide a roadmap for other business leaders
01:51thinking about how they could be improving equity, access, inclusiveness in this landscape.
02:02So that being said, I just wanted to set the stage.
02:06Before we get into what's working, though, I just want to ask really quickly, you know,
02:11in 2020, there were a lot of folks that thought that in a few years people would forget about
02:19DEI, forget about their commitment, but the reality is actually a lot worse than that.
02:27So I just want to start with this question.
02:31For you, in 2024, what's the path forward?
02:36Yeah, so for me, I would say nothing has really changed.
02:40The one thing that, and I've been doing DEI work for quite some time when it was just
02:45the D, no equity, no inclusion, the focus was just diversity, and so when people are
02:50interested to get into the space and they're really scared, like, what do we do?
02:54And I have to remind people that this role, this function would not exist if this was
02:58not always under attack.
03:00So nothing is new, right?
03:02Now it's just a matter of how do we re-navigate, and there's always going to be the twists
03:08and the turns and just thinking about what do you have to do differently.
03:11So as far as the path forward, it's knowing what are those legal nuances, everything that
03:16the women were talking about this morning, having everything top of mind so now you know
03:20how to navigate.
03:21Sometimes it's a matter of semantics, you know, we can talk about that later, right?
03:25Is it instead of a target, is it a representation, aspiration, right, the different things that
03:30you have to do if you are creating scholarships and you're thinking about, you know, instead
03:35of saying I want to increase the number of black employees, right, do you just set up
03:40a scholarship at an HBCU or an HSI, Hispanic Serving Institution, right?
03:44So it's now knowing what is the navigation, but nothing's changed, folks.
03:50I think we have to keep moving forward and trudging ahead.
03:54And so Ryan, how about for you, I'm going to tweak that question a bit because backstage
04:01you were talking about neurodiversity and how there's a feeling that that is one of
04:10the paths forward.
04:11So what did you mean by that?
04:13Can you explain that to this audience?
04:15Yeah, absolutely.
04:16It's good to be with everybody.
04:19So, you know, I agree with Erica.
04:24I don't think anything's changed.
04:26And I think that's the exact problem and issue.
04:29And I don't think that we as a people or as a society understand how catastrophic this
04:40war on diversity, equity, and inclusion is for society today, for the future, and for
04:48generations to come.
04:50And so what I believe is we have to put on our armor of resilience.
04:56We have to put on and put out swords of persistence, swords of authenticity, and ruthlessness because
05:09that's what the enemy is bringing forth to us.
05:11And so this is not about a battle.
05:16This is not about a tweet.
05:17This is not about, you know, who puts the right meme and the right quote together.
05:22This is a war.
05:23And this is a long-term war.
05:25And it's a war that we're losing right now.
05:29The pendulum swung really, really far.
05:31And so I think what we have to do is fight with facts and we have to fight with substance
05:36and we have to fight with examples of black excellence because we're seeing examples of
05:40black ignorance and incompetence every single day by the enemy.
05:45And so when we are talking backstage about what kind of diversity, because the word
05:50has gotten so charged and the whole terminology has gotten so charged and people have been
05:55so dismissive because of it that it's tragic, I think we need to fight with real substantive
06:02empirical information and we need to show that the real diversity that we all can benefit
06:09from is cognitive diversity.
06:10So it's diversity in people's backgrounds and how we think and what we bring to the
06:15table because that inherently is going to mean that you have to have more black experiences
06:21and it's not a homogenous, you know, experience.
06:24It's multiple experiences.
06:26And nobody can argue with having more perspectives at the table because the more unique insights
06:31you have, the more unique solutions that you can determine, you can identify, and you can
06:36ultimately promote and push forward.
06:38And so, again, this is a battle that leads and is leading to a war and we got to come
06:43prepared and we've got to come with an all-out assault because right now the enemy is launching
06:50rockets and grenades every single day and we're going to be the casualties and so will
06:54our children.
06:55Yeah.
06:56And so, Erica, how about, let's talk now, let's reframe the question a bit.
07:02Let's talk about what's working.
07:03Like, what are you doing that, in spite of the rockets and the grenades that are flowing,
07:12is working to create access and equity that is moving your corporation forward?
07:19Yeah.
07:20So, I mean, I think when you're talking about DEI and then you have people and companies
07:26that are tasked with the role, sometimes because it's viewed as a passion project or maybe
07:32a leader will say, hey, you're a woman, why don't you lead our diversity efforts?
07:35Aren't you gay?
07:36Yeah, you're a guy, right?
07:38It's so much more, this is, you know, I let them know pretty quickly, straight up front,
07:42I'm not the girl to come in and plan Taco Tuesday.
07:45That's not what this is, right?
07:47This is change management.
07:48That is the crux of what this work is and so very quickly I came in asking about the
07:53data, I'm asking all these questions, so also that part you see in my title, people analytics,
07:58and that's because I was super curious to know what is the systemic change that happens?
08:02Of course, you have the community building, there is a representation of diversity, which
08:06is simply a count of what's different.
08:08There is no direct correlation between diversity, equity, inclusion, it's all three very different
08:12things and that correlation, there is no causation between them, right?
08:16So, you have to work on them concurrently and individually to make change happen and
08:20so the people analytics is because I wanted to really underpin what's happening from a
08:25data perspective, to substantiate what's happening, you lean a lot of rhetoric, there's a lot
08:30of platitudes, oh, there's a business case for diversity, there's the moral case for
08:33diversity, but really, what does that mean, right?
08:36So I came in, you know, in 2020, one of the things I wanted to do, we didn't have anything
08:40in writing to say what was our stance when it comes to DEI, you know, you saw all of
08:45these egregious acts happening and then someone was fired and someone said, oh, that person
08:49is fired because what they did is not aligned with our values, well, if that were to happen
08:53to us, who said what we stood for, we didn't have anything, right, so I wanted to make
08:57sure it was in writing and essentially, all that is, is a pat on the back to say we're
09:00not going to do anything that's illegal, it's not illegal to be racist, it's not illegal
09:04to be sexist, it is not illegal to be homophobic, but it is when you discriminate on the basis
09:08of those things from an employment perspective and so I wanted to let our employees know,
09:12you don't have to agree with what I'm saying, but you understand what I'm saying, right?
09:15We're creating a foundational language and a baseline of understanding, so that's what
09:18we did, we had trainings on different things like data compliance, no DEI training, so
09:24I wanted to formalize it, we actually incorporated that into the company bonus payout plan, so
09:30that participation rate, we tracked the number of hours that are going toward DEI programming,
09:35engagement, our business resource groups, I've got some great BRG members with me here
09:39today, right, all of those hours are tracked and accounted for and incorporated into the
09:43bonus payout and then we also, I wanted to provide some transparency into what the diversity
09:47composition looks like, so that's why I was mentioning the representation aspirations,
09:51so I came in and established those 22 through 2025 and what that is, is creating the baseline,
09:58the minimum threshold, it's not a tick the box exercise to say, hired our black woman,
10:02we're done, right, ambitious but realistic enough, so we've established that, we've already
10:07exceeded what I set forth for our 2024 aspirations, so when you're looking at the overall workforce
10:13composition as well as our leadership, BIPOC, so black, indigenous, people of color, essentially
10:18anyone who identifies as something other than Caucasian or white, we're at about a 50-50
10:23split with our corporate and then when you're looking at leadership, we have about 30% of
10:27our senior leaders who are BIPOC, so it's really looking to see, I'm interested to see
10:32who is being hired, fired, promoted and developed but more importantly, I'm interested in who
10:37is doing the hiring, firing, promotion and development, so it's those systemic changes
10:42because when you're doing that, it's just a turn and burn, if you're just focusing on
10:46diversity representation, yes, we can go and we can recruit and hire the best and brightest
10:51talent but I want to make sure that when I hire you, that you can thrive.
10:54Well, how about, let me ask you, I guess part B of that then, because as you talk about
11:00coming in, creating concrete and transparent measurements, how did you, like, I think that
11:11this group may want to know, those who are working in the corporate level who can make
11:16change, how did you sell that? Because it's under, like, there's an understanding that
11:26to be transparent can be scary, right? We have not done this well ever as a nation and
11:34to be, to try to improve equity is one thing, to try to improve it and to show, you know,
11:44open your closets and let everyone see where you failed, so talk to me a bit about how
11:49you made that case to, you know, the executives at Mercedes in order to get them on board
11:57with you.
11:58Because it is what it is, right? So you can try to hide and disclose those things and
12:05not, you know, keep it close to the vest but your employees are walking around and what's
12:09so interesting, you have this smoke and mirrors effect a lot of times, so you see companies
12:13and they're listed, oh, best place to work for diversity, working moms, and yeah, and
12:18then the employee's looking like, that's the company I work for? Are you really? So, you
12:23know, and you have employees walking around and which I highly discourage you not do
12:27that because you can't really look at someone and tell what they are or who they are, right?
12:31But you have employees walking around saying, okay, let's see, leaders of color, there's
12:36Erica, you know, rather than do that, having the dashboards and putting it out there, it's
12:40all discoverable data. If we're getting sued, we have to turn it over anyway, right? So
12:45it's having that transparency and those are the conversations that you need to have to
12:50just really be real about things. We've had some gripping conversations and yes, it's
12:55just talk but the talk is what propels and I always tell people, I'm not a huge fan of
12:59cancel culture because if you don't have those hard conversations, how do we move forward?
13:03Now, there is a tipping point, there is an inflection, well, somebody knows better and
13:07that keeps it so then we can cancel them then. However, but just to initiate the conversations,
13:11you have to have those gripping conversations so people understand we're a global company,
13:16we have a global headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, if you're thinking about the atrocities
13:20against the Jewish people, they had some hard conversations, one could say that they reconciled
13:26those things, we did not do a good job of doing that here in the U.S. So you're not
13:30a guest in this, you may be a guest in the country but you're not a guest in the company
13:33and so yep, you too, you're from Germany, come on in, you too, you're involved, DEI
13:38hits everyone, it's not just people of color and so Ryan, to your point, right, this diversity
13:44thing, it engages everyone, it's not just a problem for those who are of color, I think
13:49the term ally is thrown around far too loosely, so again, you cannot be an ally if you don't
13:54understand the challenges and the risks, everything that is at stake, so we have to talk about
14:00it.
14:01Yeah, and Ryan, let's talk about you for a minute because the innovation in DEI, you
14:08are a tech company, talk to me about how, what's happening with you, how you are creating
14:19equity and, you know, talk about it either from your product or from the makeup of your
14:24company and how you're engaging, I want to hear what's working.
14:29Yeah, absolutely, so I'm the founder and CEO of Cadre, we are a technology platform aimed
14:36at democratizing access to real estate investing, real estate is the most important asset class
14:42to own to build long-term multi-generational wealth, the average individual owns less than
14:483% of their portfolio in real estate and most of that ownership comes from ownership of
14:53homes, which we all know is hardly attainable these days given where interest rates are
15:01and the prices, so the American dream that people talk about, you know, is becoming a
15:06nightmare for a lot of people and so we're trying to change that, we're trying to let
15:09more people own real estate, in order to be able to do that, you got to build a diverse
15:14organization because it's not been done before, no one has created a technology platform that
15:19allows people to buy fractional stakes of real estate buildings with the click of a
15:23few buttons and so what we did from the outset is embrace diversity, not just cognitive but
15:30background and experiential diversity and functional diversity and we said we want
15:37to bring together the best engineers, product managers with the best people operations,
15:42HR leaders with the best finance leaders in the world, all under one umbrella and we believe
15:49that the sum of the parts and those individuals working together will create an organization
15:54that is exceptional and far surpasses anything that exists in the world today and it's work,
16:02you know, that's been our superpower is the diversity of our team's experiences and it's
16:06funny because when I sit with a white guy and I talk about diversity and hiring and
16:13pipeline, I can see and sense how triggered they get.
16:18When I talk about diversity of experience and I talk about the fact that a black guy
16:23from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which is my hometown, built this business because I had
16:31experience in a diverse way both in real estate and in technology, then it clicks, then he
16:37sees that, you know what, those unique experiences are what allowed you to, with a lot of amazing
16:43people, build a business that's doing something that's never been done before and so I always
16:47say, you know, to achieve unconventional outcomes, you've got to do unconventional things and
16:53today, unfortunately, it's still far too conventional in terms of what success looks
16:59like and we've got to change that blueprint and that's what goes back to my earlier point.
17:03We all have to start promoting, like citizen journalism, we all have to promote what excellence
17:09looks like because it's not being portrayed in any way, shape, or form to the extent that
17:15it is.
17:16Everybody here is a form of black excellence or whatever your background is, excellence
17:21in so many different ways and there's not enough of these stories being told but I bet
17:25you there's hundreds, if not thousands, of resilient stories that are in this room right
17:30now that the world needs to hear about and so that's what we've tried to do is really
17:34bring together diverse experiences and build something that's never been done before.
17:39So it's core to what we do and it's core to who we are.
17:42Yeah, okay.
17:43I'm going to clap for that, I love that.
17:46Alright, so we knew this was going to go fast.
17:50It did.
17:52We're almost out of time.
17:53Oh dang, we've got a minute.
17:54This is crazy, okay.
17:55We've got to start singing like Antasia or something right now, so let's.
17:58Please don't.
17:59Ryan, you're wasting time.
18:00Don't worry, I won't.
18:01That was my plan.
18:02But I want to ask, let's end it on a high note.
18:11What makes you excited, Erica, what makes you excited, what makes you optimistic, what's
18:16the opportunity that can drive your business forward and that you think is going to put
18:25us all in a better place in terms of equity?
18:28Yeah, I'm just excited to see all of you here.
18:32You're taking it all in and just knowing that the future, it feels like it's bleak but just
18:38having that empowerment.
18:39You'll see that collab that's out there, it's the Eastside Golf Mercedes-Benz collaboration.
18:44Those two founders, graduates from Morehouse College, when I met them, I'm like, hey, let's
18:47do something.
18:48So you see the powerhouse of a brand like Mercedes-Benz and with young entrepreneurs
18:53and just the way that they are blowing up and so leaving a legacy.
18:57We sponsor Morehouse College golf team, they've got a brand new sprinter van, we took them
19:00down to the Masters in Augusta.
19:02So seeing that legacy and the future, it seems bleak but it's not.
19:08We've been doing this, our ancestors have been doing this, so just seeing that we are
19:13resilient and we're still moving forward.
19:15Yeah, I love it.
19:17Yeah, just to piggyback, I mean like in life, I feel like sometimes you got to just be reflective
19:26and take a step back and think about how far you've come.
19:30We didn't come this far to come this far.
19:33We as a people have endured centuries of adversity and we came out on top every single time.
19:42And I think about the future, you know, I got a brother who's about 10 years younger
19:46than me and I talked to him a lot, like I'm just really, really excited about the potential
19:54for information and ideas to spread faster than they ever have before.
19:58Everybody talks about the pitfalls of social media and technology, but I'm an optimist
20:04and I do believe that there's going to be positive virality going forward and, you know,
20:09the pendulum on diversity, equity, inclusion, which cannot be grouped together but they
20:15oftentimes are, it's swung way too far, you know, in the opposite direction, you know.
20:20And so things are going to get back to a place where we can have sane conversations as long
20:26as we remain open-minded.
20:28And I'm excited about one of the people in here or multiple people in here being catalysts,
20:33you know, to positive change and catalysts to enlightenment, the enlightenment of why
20:40having more people at the table espousing ideas is impactful and is what makes us human.
20:51And so I believe in humanity, I believe in our people as being beacons of humanity and
20:57the foundation of humanity.
20:58I mean, we know the first person came from Africa.
21:01And I believe in diversity, equity, and inclusion being critical and foundational to what makes
21:09us who we are.
21:10So you can't run away from your foundation.
21:13You can't run away from your beginnings.
21:16And I know we'll step up to the plate and elevate society as we always have when the
21:20odds are stacked against us.
21:22Well, now we are out of time.
21:26Thank you both for being here and really truly let's keep this conversation moving.
21:33Thank you all.
21:34Thank you.