As newsrooms work to improve diversity and inclusion, they should look to the nonprofit news community for resources. The Institute for Nonprofit News (INN) has a variety of resources that can help members advance diversity and inclusion. The program is designed to meet the needs of both large and small newsrooms, and the resources are tailored to the specific needs of newsrooms. The INN has also developed video training courses for its members.
For example, last year, JPMorgan Chase, a large financial firm, settled a lawsuit for racial discrimination, and announced that it would create a diversity institute. However, only 4.4 percent of JPMorgan Chase executives are black. As a result of the suit, CEO Jamie Dimon has been thinking about how to bolster the company’s commitment to diversity equity and inclusion.
Social unrest has also spurred companies to step up their diversity efforts. The recession has taken a particularly hard toll on people of color and other marginalized groups. Companies that didn’t make diversity a priority during the good times are now struggling to stay afloat. In fact, less than half of the S&P 500 companies now have a chief diversity officer, a position that is largely responsible for promoting diversity.
Tech companies talk a big game about diversity in the workplace, but don’t always practice it. However, younger job seekers are demanding diversity. Gen Z professionals and millennials look for companies that have diverse workforces, clear promotion traffic, and a commitment to confronting systemic racism. Another notable example is the fact that the recent pandemic highlighted the need for companies to take psychological safety into account when planning for the future.
The Tyler Clement Center has launched the first Inclusion Summit, bringing together members of the Rutgers community to explore issues surrounding diversity. The event featured panel discussions on issues such as neurodiversity, race in America, and understanding cultural holidays. The inaugural event is designed to inspire, educate, and promote diversity.
Inclusion in companies should not be an afterthought. Companies have spent billions on diversity programs, and yet the results have been disappointing. In fact, research has shown that most of them fail to reach their goals. For example, one PPG executive who wrote a letter to the company after Floyd’s death said that the company is committed to learning more about racism and inclusion and will implement changes as they go along.
Another example of diversity and inclusion news is the new HEED Award for Millersville University. The university is one of only 100 recipients nationwide, and the award will be featured in the November 2021 issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. Besides the recognition, the university recently announced the creation of a Social Justice Task Force that will focus on diversity and inclusion at its university.
