Racial Justice

There is no DEI without justice. This book brings the J in DEIJ to life, giving organizations a road map to justice-centered action. We have not yet succeeded at dismantling systems that perpetuate harm and exclude non-white groups. Many organizational DEI efforts fail because they are too tactical and focus on "fixing" marginalized communities rather than reworking the systems that uphold inequity. A component is missing from the diversity, equity, and inclusion equation-- justice. Justice as an orientation focuses on repairing broken systems, acknowledging harm, and implementing deliberate processes and practices that produce equity and shift power. Justice work diverges from traditional metrics-driven DEI work and requires a new approach to thought and action to effectively dismantle power structures. DEIJ pioneer Mary-Frances Winters seeks to provide understanding and guidance to organizations committed to doing the work properly. With additional chapters written by the Winters Group's core team and strategic partners, this book shares relevant theory and practical remedies to achieve equitable workplaces and features advice on how to ditch neutrality, practice restorative dialogue, amplify anti-racist practices, and more. By taking a justice perspective, this book will help readers to both achieve equity and sustain it. --

Listen to this episode from Women at Work on Spotify. As we wait for company leaders to make good on the anti-racism commitments they made earlier this year, we check in with four Black women about how their work lives have and haven’t changed. Then we talk with an expert who helps us understand how to keep pushing forward and supporting our Black colleagues while we wait for long-overdue change.

"Building anti-racist companies by design creates great places to work for all. Business leaders who are ready to take a bold stance to make the world better for their employees, consumers, and community: read this book. This book is not apolitical. This book is explicitly anti-racist. This book takes the stance that Black Lives Matter, LGBTQIA rights are human rights, people of all abilities deserve respect and access, and people of all genders have the right to sovereignty over their identities. This book acknowledges that capitalism is built on a foundation of systemic racism. Business leaders, you hold an important position in the power structure, and you have the unique ability to reach thousands of employees and millions of consumers with your leadership. It's time for you to build a truly diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment. This book is the comprehensive plan for leaders who are ready to get serious about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and creating an anti-racist company culture. Transformational leader James D. White has gained a deep understanding of how to operationalize and integrate DEI agendas as a leader with 30 years of experience at large companies. and as his lived experience as a Black man at that highest levels of corporate America. Most recently he was CEO and Chairman of the global smoothie chain Jamba Juice, where he led a remarkable turnaround to make it a model of strong performance built on a foundation of a deeply diverse, anti-racist culture. And he draws on the experiences of other leaders on the vanguard of DEI. Practical lessons and real-world examples of techniques used by best practitioners will empower leaders who are asking themselves at this urgent moment what so many have asked White: What can I do? Read this book"--