Colorado Companies Uniting Against Racism

Colorado CEOs have banded together and taken a pledge to confront inherent inequalities and demand diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) in all that we do to act against racial injustice. Founding companies include Craig Hospital, GroundFloor Media | CenterTable, IMA Financial Group and the Rocky Mountain Region of JLL. They are joined by more than 130 businesses and community organizations. See the organizations committed here.

B:CIVIC, alongside, the Denver Metro Chamber, Downtown Denver Partnership, Colorado Inclusive Economy and Prosper Colorado are supporting companies to deliver on these commitments.

In Jan. 2021, each company reported on their actions to B:CIVIC and we produced an initial collective impact progress report. In March 2022, almost half of the first survey respondents completed the second survey. To support all organizations and their teams in advancing their own work, we are sharing the second cumulative survey results as a learning tool.

 

Scroll down for resources and actions companies and individuals can take to advance racial justice and equity for all. This page will be continually updated, please check back for additional resources. 

Learn how CEOs can commit to building more equitable communities and companies.

Colorado Inclusive Economy Toolkit

A movement of intent, design, and action toward a more equitable economy, Colorado Inclusive Economy developed a robust toolkit centered around history, inclusive economy foundation, employers, future workforce and the business environment to help move us towards a more equitable and inclusive community. 

Listen

Listen first to the needs of your employees and stakeholders.

 

Organizations committed to this work are pausing to listen.

What organizations are doing*:

  • Asking employees for feedback and suggestions on what they would like to see through organization-wide pulse surveys.
  • Organization-wide town halls led by employee resource groups and/or leadership.
  • Outreach to other stakeholders for feedback including board members, suppliers, customers/clients, etc.
  • Providing closed-group sessions for Black, Indigenous, People of Color, (BIPOC) employees and parents of BIPOC children both with and without leadership on how they are impacted and what the organization can do to support them.
  • Small group conversations amongst teams and within employee resource groups (ERGs).

Please Note: The recommendations are not intended to be complete lists only resources to get you started.

Have recommendations? Add them to our list or share them with us at info@bcivic.org.

A Guide to the Discussion You are Scared to have Right Now | Great Place to Work

Everyone is a swirl of anxiety, sorrow, frustration, anger, hope, questions, stress…pretty much any feeling you can name right now.

Trying to get tasks done when it feels like the world is ending and your leaders don’t care about you, your family, your community or the nation is virtually impossible.

 

DINE Guide | AT&T

AT&T shares its DINE: Discover differences, Include one another, Navigate new perspective, Eat guide. This includes conversation questions and 2 self-reflection worksheets on inclusions and telling your story.

 

Discussion Guides | CEOs for Action

CEOs for Action have several discussion guide to foster conversations around bias and blind spots. There are discussion guides specific to women and leadership, and some paired with videos.

 

Talking About Race | The National Museum of African American History and Culture

Talking about race, although hard, is necessary. The National Museum has resources for educators, parents/caregivers and people committed to equity with tools and guidance to empower your journey and inspire conversation.

While there plenty of options for employee survey questions, here are two resources we recommend.

 

10 Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Questions to Use in Your Survey | People Goal

These D&I questions will help you evaluate your company culture and identify key areas of improvement to address in your organization. In addition, People Goal shares the definitions of diversity and inclusion.

 

Sample Diversity and Inclusion Questions for Employee Surveys |AICPA

Focused on retaining and advancing diverse talent, these sample questions focus on attitude on D&I, discrimination, hiring and advancing, belonging and more.

Learn

Learn both as an organization and a leader.

 

Organizations and individuals committed to this work are taking the time to educate themselves and their organizations to advance racial equity together.

What organizations are doing to learn:

  • Creating space for yourself and your employees to personally reflect.
  • Educating employees on issues facing BIPOC individuals, bias, how to be an ally and increasing empathy. This can be taught by ERGs, leadership and consultants, but it is important to think about who is right to be the educator for your organization.
  • Ensuring managers and leaders know how to support BIPOC employees, including providing training as needed.
  • Hiring an outside practitioner to help educate employees and/or leadership.
  • Providing space for dialogue around learnings amongst teams and leadership.
  • Sharing resources and educational learnings throughout teams and the organization.
  • Starting an optional book club within a department or the organization.
  • Take assessments around implicit bias and blind spots.

 

Additional Resource:

Firth Third Inclusion Toolkit | Fifth Third Bank

This inclusion toolkit was developed internally under the leadership and guidance of the Diversity Leadership Council and other corporate peers to ensure we were creating a resource that contained some common elements to help spur reflective thoughts, support hard conversations and bold actions. In this toolkit, we feature ways you can engage, whether it’s through reading, watching movies and documentaries, listening to podcasts or engaging with advocacy groups and organizations.

Inclusive Economy Toolkit | Colorado Inclusive Economy

A movement of intent, design and action toward a more equitable economy, Colorado Inclusive Economy developed a robust toolkit centered around: history, inclusive economy foundation, employers, future workforce and the business environment to help move us towards a more equitable and inclusive community. 

Watch & Listen | P&G

Racism has an extensive history in this country. If you’re wondering where to begin when educating yourself and others, set aside some time to review and utilize these resources we have including, TV shows and films about the Black experience in America, accounts to follow, Ted talks to watch, podcasts and more.

Please Note: The recommendations are not intended to be complete lists only resources to get you started.

Have recommendations? Add them to our list or share them with us at info@bcivic.org.

Activate Your Allyship: 4 Ways to be a Workplace Activist | The Riveter

Corporate America spends millions of dollars on diversity and inclusion, but their efforts often fall flat for Black professionals, who are disheartened by seeing corporations and colleagues clamor to create distance between themselves and the issues.

 

Anti-Racism Daily | Anti-Racism Daily

Each day, Anti-Racism Daily offer an overview on current events and apply an anti-racism lens. Learn how practices embedded in our politics, criminal justice system and workplaces enforce systemic oppression – and what you can do about it.

 

Curriculum for White Americans to Educate Themselves on Race and Racism | Citizenship & Social Justice

A guide on understanding whiteness, white privilege, microaggressions and history of racial discrimination, in addition to parenting racially conscious children.

 

Examining the Black-White Wealth Gap | The Brookings Institute

Gaps in wealth between Black and white households reveal the effects of accumulated inequality and discrimination, as well as differences in power and opportunity that can be traced back to this nation’s inception.

 

How to Be an Anti-Racist in Denver | 303 Magazine

It is important, now more than ever, to stand up for our neighbors and understand the role that systematic racism plays in our city.

 

Inclusive Economy Toolkit | Colorado Inclusive Economy

A movement of intent, design and action toward a more equitable economy, Colorado Inclusive Economy developed a robust toolkit centered around: history, foundation to an inclusive economy, employers, future workforce and the business environment to help move us towards a more equitable and inclusive community. 

 

Scaffold Anti-Racist Resources

This is a working document for Scaffold’s anti-racism resources. The goal is to facilitate growth for white folks to become allies and eventually accomplices for anti-racist work.

 

What is White Privilege, Really? | Cory Collins

In short, we’ve forgotten what white privilege really means—which is all of this, all at once. And if we stand behind the belief that recognizing white privilege is integral to the anti-bias work of white educators, we must offer a broader recognition.

 

“Where do I donate? Why is the uprising violent? Should I go protest?” | Courtney Martin

A Q&A by -and for- people with privilege who want to learn more about racial justice.

 

White Allyship 101 | Dismantle Collective

The Dismantle Collective desires to be a starting point for white allies to do the work and engage in analysis, education and action on anti-racism.

 

Why People of Color Need Spaces Without White People | Kelsey Blackwell

People of color need their own spaces. Black people need their own spaces. We need places in which we can gather and be free from the mainstream stereotypes and marginalization that permeate every other societal space we occupy. We need spaces where we can be our authentic selves without white people’s judgment and insecurity muzzling that expression.

Blind Spots Assessments | CEO’s For Action

CEO’s for Action created several blind spot and self-reflection assessments to check your blind spots on a variety of topics.

Project Implicit Bias | Harvard University

Harvard created Project Implicit Bias, it allows you to take a series of tests to see where your unconscious biases lie—looking at race, gender, age, weight, disability and sexuality.

Podcasts:

  • Black Boys and Men Changing the Narrative – Season One | McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research
    • The podcast series brings together thought leaders to analyze stereotypes and dispel myths concerning Black boys and men, to explore their strengths and achievements, and to discuss the many ways in which all of us can support their progress and well-being.
  • Black Boys and Men Changing the Narrative – Season Two | McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research
    • The podcast series brings together thought leaders to analyze stereotypes and dispel myths concerning Black boys and men, to explore their strengths and achievements, and to discuss the many ways in which all of us can support their progress and well-being.
  • Code Switch | NPR
    • Tackles the subject of race head-on. They explore how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and everything in between.
  • Fare of the Free Child | Raising Free People
    • Centering Black people, Indigenous people and People of Color in liberatory living and learning practices. With a particular interest in unschooling and the Self-Directed Education movement, Akilah S. Richards and guests discuss the fears and the fares (costs) of raising free Black and Brown children in a world that tends to diminish, dehumanize and disappear them.
  • Raising White Kids with Jennifer Harvey | Integrated Schools
    • What is a healthy racial identity for a white person and how do we help our white children develop one?
  • Into an American Uprising: White Accountability | Into America
    • White accountability: what it looks like and why it’s necessary.
  • Momentum | Race Forward
    • Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast features movement voices, stories and strategies for racial justice.
  • The Takeaway | WNYC Studios
    • The Takeaway is America’s weekday conversation.

 

Film:

  • 8:46 | Dave Chappelle
    • Netflix special on Race in America.
  • I Am Not Your Negro | James Baldwin
    • A documentary of James Baldwin’s story about race in modern America.
  • Jane Elliott’s Anti-racism Experiment – A Class Divided | PBS Frontline
    • One of FRONTLINE’s most requested programs — third-grade teacher Jane Elliott’s lesson in discrimination.
  • TED Talk: Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable | Luvvie Adjayi
    • In this bright, uplifting talk, Ajayi shares three questions to ask yourself if you’re teetering on the edge of speaking up or quieting down — and encourages all of us to get a little more comfortable with being uncomfortable.
  • When They See Us | Ava DuVernay
    • The story of five teenaged boys falsely accused of rape in Central Park.
  • Where Do We Go From Here | Oprah Winfrey
    • Oprah Winfrey speaks directly with Black thought leaders, activists and artists about systematic racism and the current state of America.

Videos:

B:CIVIC’s list of local practitioners.

Lead

Lead as an organization.

Organizations committed to this work are developing strategies to lead in racial equity that align with their organizational strategies and with what they have listened to and learned from.

 

What organizations are doing to lead:

  • Actively work with and support minority-owned businesses in our community.
  • Donate funds and ask your employees to support organizations addressing racial injustice and advancing equity.
  • Encourage diversity and partnerships in business relationships, and encourage partners and vendors to embrace diversity in the workforce.
  • Establishing and revising DE&I policies internally based around your organization’s fundamental values with feedback from BIPOC employees.
  • Improve practices for recruiting, hiring and advancing employees of color inside the organization.
  • Join and partner with community-based organizations advancing racial equity.
  • Use your voice to advocate and amplify the messages and positions you support.
  • Vote, and encourage employees to vote.

 

Additional Resources to Assess Where You Should Lead:

Build Your Case Resources | Mosaic

As the Tulsa Regional Chamber’s diversity business council, Mosaic champions the business case for diversity and inclusion. Mosaic encourages organizations to think about inclusivity not merely as compliance or a “check box,” but as an opportunity to attract top talent, strengthen bottom lines and invest in the region’s global competitiveness. They have curated resources to help organizations improve, including a business case and organizational best practices.

 

Inclusive Economy Toolkit | Colorado Inclusive Economy

A movement of intent, design and action toward a more equitable economy, Colorado Inclusive Economy developed a robust toolkit centered around: history, foundation to an inclusive economy, employers, future workforce and the business environment to help move us towards a more equitable and inclusive community. 

 

If you have a successful DE&I initiative, program or piloted activity your organization has recently implemented, large or small, we would love to hear from you. Reach out and we’ll share your good work with this community!

Please Note: The recommendations are not intended to be complete lists only resources to get you started.

Have recommendations? Add them to our list or share them with us at info@bcivic.org.

4 Essential Steps for Building a Diverse and Inclusive Workplace | JUST Capital

How can you help? Start by examining your own company’s approach to diversity and inclusion. No matter how much work you’ve done in this area in the past, it’s something that requires constant effort. Here are four crucial steps for building a diverse and inclusive workplace.

 

A Path to Racial Equity Works | Forward through Ferguson

Racial Equity is a state in which race no longer predicts outcomes. But the 189 calls to action in the Ferguson Commission Report are a reminder that there is no one-step, straight-line path from our current state—where racial disparities exist in almost every set of outcome data available—to a state of Racial Equity.

 

Build Your Case Resources | Mosaic

As the Tulsa Regional Chamber’s diversity business council, Mosaic champions the business case for diversity and inclusion. Mosaic encourages organizations to think about inclusivity not merely as compliance or a “check box,” but as an opportunity to attract top talent, strengthen their bottom line and invest in the region’s global competitiveness. They have curated targeted resources to help your organization improve including a business case and organizational best practices.

 

Building a Race Equity Culture | Equity in the City

A Race Equity Culture is the antithesis of dominant culture, which promotes assimilation over integration and dismisses opportunities to create a more inclusive, equitable environment. The work of creating a Race Equity Culture requires an adaptive and transformational approach that impacts behaviors and mindsets as well as practices, programs and processes.

 

Creating a Culture of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | Colorado Workforce Development Council

Across Colorado, there are groups of talented individuals that are significantly underutilized in the labor market. During times when businesses struggle to find appropriately skilled talent, rethinking your company’s approach to DEI practices can benefit both your business and workers. Furthermore, despite the importance of having a diverse workforce, not all DEI efforts are created equal. Many businesses have invested in increasing diversity in hiring processes, only to find that they are unable to retain new recruits over time. Without a comprehensive, intentional approach to addressing company culture, policy and practices, businesses continue to experience missed opportunities.

 

Equity-Centered Community Design Field Guide | A Creative Reaction Lab

The reality of our society is that any system produces what it was designed to produce (unless a stronger force intervenes). Therefore, if oppression, inequalities and inequities are designed, they can be redesigned.

 

Inclusiveness at Work: How to Build Inclusive Nonprofit Organizations | The Denver Foundation

Inclusiveness Initiative is, a six-step process that includes (1) creating an inclusiveness committee; (2) engaging in training; (3) defining inclusiveness and creating the case for inclusiveness for the organization; (4) completing and analyzing the information gathered; (5) completing an inclusiveness blueprint; and (6) implementing the blueprint.

 

Integrating Inclusivity into your Submission & Application Process: 7 Key Strategies | Submittable

Being inclusive isn’t just about being fair. It’s about improving your organization. In this guide, learn concrete, actionable ways that you can make your submission, application or admission process more equitable and welcoming.

 

It’s Time to Acknowledge Why Diversity Makes Us Uncomfortable | Great Place to Work

When people choose not to reveal parts of their identity, they’re telling you a lot.

You might expect only a small percentage of employees choose this “prefer not to respond” option. It turns out, however, that one in eight employees actively decline to reveal one or more aspects of their identity.

 

Race Forward

Race Forward brings systemic analysis and an innovative approach to complex race issues to help people take effective action toward racial equity through research, tools and practice.

 

The 10 Commitments Companies Must Make to Advance Racial Justice | Harvard Business Review

Some changes cost virtually nothing; others may create short-term costs. But solid research has shown that the changes that do cost money actually create shared value and lead to both greater long-term corporate profitability and a more prosperous, equitable and sustainable society.

 

Transformational Capacity Building | Stanford Social Innovation Review

Nonprofits that serve communities of color struggle to survive because of systemic racial disparities and biases. To surmount these challenges, we recommend seven approaches that have emerged from our work with these communities.

 

U.S. Businesses Must Take Meaningful Action Against Racism | Harvard Business Review

Harvard Business Review unpacks missteps to avoid and suggest a framework for business action that goes beyond public relations and has the potential to truly make a difference.

 

Ways Companies can Hire, Support and Hold onto Black Workers | JUST Capital

It’s not just along the traditional career inflection points that Black workers face discrimination; they also regularly experience at work micro-and macro-aggressions that not only can make them feel marginalized and unsafe, but also uncertain about their future at work.

 

What is Inclusive Innovative Corporate Social Responsibility? | Andrea Guendelman

Innovative corporate responses is a term that encompasses the various innovative corporate responses that try to help people and the planet in an inclusive manner.

Assess Your Current Workforce

  • Conduct an assessment of your current workforce demographics.
    • An important first step to initiating change is assessing the current demographics of your workforce. Is the current number of Black employees on your team reflective of national demographics? The local population? Understanding the makeup of your workforce helps to determine what changes you might need to make to ensure your team is demographically representative.
  • Set recruitment targets to address any discrepancies for BIPOC employees.
    • Once you know the makeup of your workforce, identify the specific positions and levels – from frontline workers to the C-suite – where BIPOC employees are underrepresented. From there, set concrete recruitment targets, paired with accountability mechanisms.
  • Conduct an analysis to confirm that you are paying BIPOC employees equally.
    • Today, Black men and women make 72 cents and 62 cents, respectively, for each dollar their white colleagues make. Look at the compensation of your employees and ask: Are your BIPOC employees paid less? Are they promoted less frequently? Are they receiving smaller raises? Conduct a pay equity analysis that looks at both race/ethnicity and gender across roles, be transparent about the results and create a plan to correct any discrepancies you find.

 

Examine Practices Around Layoffs and Furloughs

  • Assess whether layoffs or furloughs impact BIPOC workers disproportionately.
    • Unfortunately, BIPOC workers are disproportionately affected. As you are going through the process of furloughing or laying off your employees, it is imperative that you take a look at whether these actions will impact your BIPOC workers disproportionately. Be aware that bias and/or discrimination could make its way in the layoff process.

 

Recruit BIPOC Workers

  • Develop recruitment strategies that prioritize the inclusion of BIPOC candidates.
    • To include more BIPOC candidates in the hiring process, build recruitment strategies and processes that account for racial and ethnic diversity – like ensuring that at least one ethnically/racially diverse candidate is brought in for final-round interviews and/or establishing resume screening techniques that work to eliminate bias and discrimination.
  • Prioritize local talent, hiring from within and employment for people with criminal records.
    • In your local community, invest in initiatives that build skills and provide opportunities to your local workforce and community, which can aid in ongoing recruitment efforts for BIPOC candidates. In looking at your existing team, remember that BIPOC workers face greater barriers to advancement. Provide BIPOC employees with additional training, career development opportunities and managerial support to ensure they are well-positioned to advance. And finally, it’s imperative to remember that BIPOC Americans are arrested at a far higher rate than any other racial or ethnic group in the U.S. Implement a second-chance policy that helps individuals with criminal records re-enter the workforce or actively establish a recruitment policy for formerly incarcerated persons.

Learn more on assessing your workforce from JUST Capital.

 

Additional Resource:

Talent Development Playbook | Colorado Workforce Development Council

In these challenging and uncertain economic times, refining your approach to attracting, hiring, developing and retaining highly talented employees is an investment in the ongoing strength and competitiveness of your business. This resource provides an overview of evidence-based talent development strategies, the business benefits of the strategies, tips for how to get started and case studies on how Colorado employers are putting the strategies into practice.

Diverse Hiring Organizations in Colorado

  • Activate IT: Activate connects overlooked and undervalued talent with employers searching for career-ready employees.
  • Arrupe Jesuit High School Corporate Work Study Program: Students fill entry-level office positions in banking, law, medicine, finance and many other exciting career fields. The CWSP experience provides tremendous opportunity for economically disadvantaged students to get a college-prep education, while at the same time giving partner organizations a very economical hiring alternative for entry-level office positions.
  • CareerWise Colorado: Modern youth apprenticeship program that connects students to opportunities and businesses to talent.
  • CoLabL: Committed to providing opportunity by removing barriers and strengthening connections between employers and diverse, young talent. Students complete project-based learning assignments individually or in teams over the course of 1-2 weeks. Each project incorporates career exploration, skill development and the opportunity to connect with employee volunteers serving as career coaches. Looking for career coaches (mentors) for kids 16+ this summer. Employee volunteers commit to 4 hours over 1-2 weeks.
  • Moonshot Edventures: Moonshot envisions a learner-centered system, led by individuals who share and empathize with the experience of the students and communities they aim to serve, where all children become learners who persist through life and meaningfully contribute to their communities.
  • National Society for Black Engineers: With more than 500 chapters and nearly 16,000 active members in the U.S. and abroad, the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) is one of the largest student-governed organizations. Supporting and promoting the aspirations of collegiate and pre-collegiate students and technical professionals in engineering and technology.
  • National Society for Women in IT: A community that convenes, equips and unites change-leader organizations to increase the influential and meaningful participation of girls and women — at the intersections of race, ethnicity, class, age, sexual orientation and disability status — in the field of computing, particularly in terms of innovation and development.
  • Opportunity Youth: Opportunity youth are young adults between the ages 16 and 24 who are disconnected from school and/or work. Through the Denver Opportunity Youth Initiative (DOYI), nonprofit, government and business organizations are partnering to create a pipeline for opportunity youth that begins with securing support services like housing and affordable child care and extends to education and training opportunities, work experience and eventually job placement.
  • Prosper Colorado: A non-partisan research and communications initiative, led by the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, the Chamber’s Leadership Foundation and the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation, that is dedicated to identifying and understanding disparities with the goal to make Colorado the very best place in the nation where every single person – no matter race, gender or ethnicity – can truly prosper.
  • Second Chance Center: Offers case management, mentoring and vital resources to assist formerly incarcerated individuals in reestablishing their lives and becoming successful members of the community.
  • Young Aspiring Americans for Social and Political Activism (YAASPA): Endeavors to build the self-efficacy of youth who desire to make change in our communities and pursue social science degrees and social justice careers.

Diverse supply chains. 

 

A diverse supplier is a business that is at least 51% owned and operated by an individual or group that is part of a traditionally underrepresented or underserved group.

 

What organizations are doing:

  • Assess underlying causes inhibiting the growth of suppliers of color and actively collaborate with peer companies to strengthen the ecosystem of suppliers of color.
  • Collect and publicly share data on suppliers of color as a portion of your overall supply chain.
  • Eliminate internal policies that prevent small businesses of color to be part of the supply chain.
  • Establish operation standards for all suppliers, helping to ensure equity in the workplaces that support your company (e.g., developing strict standards for equity similar to those common in the apparel industry for child and forced labor).

 

Important Stats:

  • 52 percent of respondents said they want to work for a company that has a supplier diversity and inclusion program via Hootology.
  • In a 2019 study for Coca-Cola via Hootology, found that the individuals who were aware of Coca-Cola’s supplier diversity initiatives were:
    • 45 percent more likely to perceive the brand as valuing diversity
    • 25 percent were more likely to think favorably about the brand
    • 49 percent were more likely to use Coca-Cola products

 

Additional Resources:

As CEOs Face a Legacy-Defining Moment, We Are Providing a Blueprint for Their Role in Achieving Racial Equity | JUST Capital

Corporate leaders have a particularly powerful role to play in replacing racist structures, many of which have benefited those at the top, with policies that bring us closer to racial equity – defined as “just and fair inclusion into a society in which all can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential.” View their supply chain recommendations under Inside the Company.

 

Resources for Supplier Diversity Programs | SIG

Whether your organization chooses diverse suppliers for advocacy and social responsibility reasons, to comply with state or federal regulations, or to simply meet your stated requirements and work scope, the benefits of supplier diversity can have lasting impacts on your community and organization.

 

Supply Chain Sustainability | The Alliance Center

By properly managing your supply chain, your business will have a big impact. The objective of supply chain sustainability is to create, protect and grow long-term environmental, social and economic value for all stakeholders involved in bringing products and services to market. Ensure that your supply chain is in line with your values. You will find guides and example questionnaires to better manage and improve your supply chain.

 

Why you Need a Supplier-Diversity Program | Harvard Business Review

An inclusive procurement strategy widens the pool of potential suppliers and promotes competition in the supply base, which can improve product quality and drive down costs.

 

Directories to Find Suppliers:

Supporting Black-Owned Businesses:

Buy products and services from companies and professionals taking an active role in building better communities today and for future generations.

  • 303 Magazine created a list of more than 400 Black-owned businesses you can support.
  • Black Business Initiative: Delivers strong business acumen training, mentorship programs, cooperative and traditional pathways to access capital, increased patronage in Black-owned businesses and sound policy that closes the economic chasm known as the “wealth gap.”
  • Boulder County Black-Owned Business List: The Equity Solutions put together a list of Black-owned or managed businesses based in Boulder county.
  • Bridge to Justice: An impact-oriented social enterprise to bridge the gap between legal needs and legal access with affordable, high-quality legal services.
  • Colorado Black Chamber of Commerce: Serves the needs of African American owned businesses and provides economic opportunity and support to them as well as the communities they serve.
  • Colorado Enterprise Fund: Colorado Enterprise Fund was created to expand access to financing and offer flexible terms to business owners when traditional lenders were unable to do so. To accelerate community prosperity by financing and supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses.
  • Directory of Black-Owned Businesses: By Official Black Wall Street, the largest platform for Black businesses.
  • EforAll: Accelerates economic and social impact in communities nationwide through inclusive entrepreneurship.
  • Mountain Plains Minority Supplier Council: Has a diverse network of companies that are minority certified.
  • Rocky Mountain Microfinance Institute: Is a community creating economic and social mobility through entrepreneurship.
  • SistahBiz: Provides a suite of services, resources and support for Black women entrepreneurs. These entrepreneurs often have less access to funding from friends and family, and experience barriers to securing loans. When they are able to get financing, it’s often for smaller amounts with higher interest rates.

Support and encourage employees to vote. 

 

Organizations are taking these actions:

  • Providing time off — and paid time off at that — for employees to vote and to participate as poll workers
  • Providing employees with information on local polling locations and additional localized voter information
  • Encouraging employees to register to vote is the third action step

 

Important Stats:

  • 76 percent of people were more likely to work for a company that promoted democracy via Democracy Works
  • 81 percent of people were more likely to buy products or services from a company that promoted democracy via Democracy Works

 

Get Out the Vote Playbook | Twilio & Pledge 1%

In recent years, far more businesses have encouraged workers and customers to vote, but now — as the country faces a global pandemic, an economic crisis, and a reckoning over long standing systemic racism — employers are introducing new efforts to protect the right to a safe and fair election. Creating a quick guide that is meant to be actionable and helpful whether you’re three days or three months out from election day. These companies have graciously shared their real time planning around Get Out the Vote as well as information on how they’ve leveraged their assets (time, funding, voice, etc) to protect and promote a healthy democracy.

 

The Business Case for Supporting Democracy | The Civic Responsibility Project

Millions of people are struggling to navigate the voting process, but you have the ability to make an impact with your influence. Through promoting specific days of action and resources, you can help your organization make their voices heard in 2020.  A network of the leading non-partisan voter turnout 501(c)(3) non-profits are advancing a bold goal to increase voter turnout by millions. By supporting the voter lifecycle, businesses can ensure record-breaking voter turnout, preserve public health and invest in the stable democracy that we all rely on to thrive. Access the Civic Responsibility’s 2020 Election Guide. Civic Responsibility created a guide to serve as a roadmap of how businesses can engage nonprofits as they build out their civic engagement programming for the 2020 election. Companies can take a variety of steps to promote voter participation. See a sample of potential activities.

 

U.S. Business Leaders Defend Voting Rights | Triple Pundit

Business For America has made a solid, bottom line case for corporate leaders to step up and ensure that their employees can exercise their voting rights and participate in the General Election on November 3, including voting by mail, regardless of their political affiliation.

Funds to Support

Donations aren’t enough, but as you work through the long-term process of trying to change a system, it is one of the quickest and most important ways to take action. These can be to local organizations in your communities or national organizations fighting for racial equity.

 

Please note: This is not a comprehensive list of all the organizations and resources advancing this work and B:CIVIC does not endorse any specific organizations. If you feel an organization is missing, please contact us at info@bcivic.org.

D5’s Self-Assessment for Foundation DEI | D5

D5’s self-assessment is a tool for identifying areas of work that your foundation is already engaged in and opportunities for growth. We invite you to complete the assessment to: 1. capture your foundation’s current situation, 2. spark conversations about DEI and what is possible and 3. identify tangible action steps that will improve your foundation’s effectiveness and strengthen its relevance in our increasingly diverse society.

Grantmaking With A Racial Justice Lens | Racial Equity
A downloadable guide that provides grantmakers with reflections, frameworks and tools built from the direct experience of activists and funders for advancing racial justice in any philanthropic setting. Access more tools from Racial Equity, including their tips sheet on examples of outcomes.

Grantmaking Practices Self-Assessment | Justice Funders

The worksheet is adapted content from The Choir Book. The Choir Book is designed to support grantmakers of all kinds in making tangible changes in philanthropic practice to be more equitable and just. 

How Racial Equity Supports Better Grantmaking Practices | Exponent Philanthropy

Exponent Philanthropy defined racial equity as, “the systematic fair treatment of people of all races that results in equitable opportunities and outcomes for everyone.” They asked foundations to rate the relevance of racial equity to their mission and more than a third (34%) said it was “very relevant.”

Colorado Organizations Advancing Racial Equity:

  • ACLU of Colorado: The ACLU of Colorado is the state’s oldest and largest civil rights organization.
  • Black Business Initiative: Delivers strong business acumen training, mentorship programs, cooperative and traditional pathways to access capital, increased patronage in Black-owned businesses and sound policy that closes the economic chasm known as the “wealth gap.”
  • Black Economic Opportunity Council: Formed by the Colorado Black Chamber of Commerce and the Colorado Black Round Table, a social equity business collaboration focused on opportunities to develop equity, diversity and inclusive partnerships in the current racial, health and financial climate.
  • Black Lives Matter 5280: Working with residents and organizations in Denver, Black Lives Matter 5280 assists in building more loving and united Black communities while eliminating anti-Black violence and racism.
  • Bridge to Justice: An impact-oriented social enterprise to bridge the gap between legal needs and legal access with affordable, high-quality legal services.
  • Building Bridges: Building Bridges equip resilient young leaders to transform divisive attitudes in their communities. Together, they develop personal connections based on empathy and respect and gain the confidence to transform divisive attitudes in their communities.
  • Center for African American Health: The mission of the Center for African-American Health is to improve the health and well-being of the African-American community.
  • Center for Trauma & Resilience: Dedicated to caring for victims of crime through a culturally responsive and trauma-informed approach.
  • Chinook Fund: Directs resources to improve schools, housing, criminal justice reform, living wage jobs, immigrant rights and so many other pressing issues that are improving the lives of Coloradans from all walks of life.
  • Colorado Black Chamber of Commerce: Serves the needs of African American owned businesses and provides economic opportunity and support to them as well as the communities they serve.
  • Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition: Helps people who are impacted by crime and the criminal justice system and to help navigate the criminal justice and health care systems.
  • Colorado Enterprise Fund: Colorado Enterprise Fund was created to expand access to financing and offer flexible terms to business owners when traditional lenders were unable to do so. To accelerate community prosperity by financing and supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses.
  • Colorado Freedom Fund: Founded in 2018, Colorado Freedom Fund is a revolving fund that pays ransom (posts money bond, pays cash bail) for people unable to afford the cost of buying their own freedom.
  • Colorado Juvenile Defender Center: Ensures excellence in juvenile defense and advocacy, and justice for all children and youth in Colorado.
  • Colorado People’s Alliance: Colorado People’s Alliance (COPA) is a racial justice, member-led organization dedicated to advancing and winning progressive social change locally, statewide and nationally.
  • Denver Justice Project: Works with historically marginalized communities to address systemic racism by transforming law enforcement and the structure of the criminal justice system through intersectional movement building, direct action, advocacy and collaborative education.
  • EforAll: Accelerates economic and social impact in communities nationwide through inclusive entrepreneurship.
  • Korey Wise Innocence Project: Receives requests for help from people who believe they have been convicted despite being innocent of any offense and evaluates these claims to see if there are factual and legal grounds to get back into court with the claims.
  • Latino Leadership Institute: Ensure that leadership of tomorrow is reflective of the growing demographic landscape.
  • Park Hill Collective Impact: Focused on children and families and community-led dialogue and action.
  • Prosper Colorado: Identifies and understands what causes disparity. Armed with information and insights, it will pinpoint strategies to ensure all Coloradans benefit from our economic prosperity. It will then work to make those strategies a reality.
  • Rocky Mountain Children’s Law Center: Advocates for children and youth, drives systemic reform and boldly challenges the status quo so that every young person who has experienced trauma or instability has the opportunity to thrive.
  • Rocky Mountain Microfinance Institute: Is a community creating economic and social mobility through entrepreneurship.
  • Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center: Dedicated to radically progressive personal and social change they works to restore and protect Earth and human rights. They educate, organize, act and build community in order to create a culture of justice and peace.
  • Second Chance Center: Provides community re-entry programs for formerly incarcerated individuals including case management, mentoring and support to help clients become successful members of the community.
  • Shop Talk Live: A Black-owned media/communications company that explores issues of racism through original, independent content including videos, podcasts and news. Shop Talk Live is built on community involvement and open forums to promote discussions and healing to repair broken relationships.
  • Showing up for Racial Justice: Organizes white people to do anti-racist advocacy. The Denver and Boulder chapters work to fight white supremacy and help others get involved. The organization is dedicated to providing inclusive resources to Colorado, including this document that outlines the best way to protesting as a white accomplice in Denver.
  • Soul 2 Soul Sisters: A faith-based, Black women-led, racial justice organization focused on healing and liberation.
  • Struggle of Love Denver: Offers alternatives to those with limited opportunities that may not qualify for any other community-based assistance programs.
  • The Bell Policy Center: The Bell Policy Center is igniting a conversation that inspires communities and their leaders to transform Colorado into a state where everyone thrives. We do this by focusing on public policies that advance economic mobility across Colorado.
  • United for a New Economy: UNE is a multiracial community organization building people power and developing leaders in the cities and counties surrounding Denver.
  • Urban Leadership Foundation of Colorado: Has programs and events designed to help individuals become more well-rounded, effective and influential leaders in the areas of business, politics and community service.
  • Uncharted: Uncharted is a social impact accelerator.
  • Whittier Café: Black-owned business that hosts community conversations and actively supports people who raise their voices in support of social justice.
  • Women’s Foundation of Colorado: Catalyzes community to advance and accelerate economic opportunities for Colorado women and their families.
  • Young Aspiring Americans for Social and Political Activism (YAASPA): Endeavors to build the self-efficacy of youth who desire to make change in our communities, pursue social science degrees and social justice careers. 

National Organizations Advancing Racial Equity:

  • A list of mutual aid funds.
  • A list of donation sites that accept international payments.
  • ACLU Racial Justice Program: Aims to preserve and extend constitutionally guaranteed rights to people who have historically been denied their rights on the basis of race.
  • Anguish and Action: Founded by President Obama provides a series of programs and support to inspire, empower and connect people to change the world.
  • Black Futures Lab: Transforms Black communities into constituencies that change the way power operates—locally, statewide and nationally. 
  • Black Lives Matter: A global organization in the US, UK and Canada, whose mission is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes.
  • Black Visions Collective: A Black-led, queer and trans centering organization whose mission is to organize powerful, connected Black communities and dismantle systems of violence…through building strategic campaigns, investing in Black leadership and engaging in cultural and narrative organizing.
  • Black Voters Matter Fund: Works on increasing power in communities through effective voting.
  • Black Youth Project 100: A national organization of Black 18-35-year-olds working towards racial justice through direct-action organizing, advocacy and political education.
  • Brooklyn Bail Fund: Committed to challenging the racism, inequality, and injustice of a criminal legal system and immigration and deportation regime that disproportionately target and harm low-income communities of color.
  • Campaign Zero: Working to end police violence.
  • Center for Policing Equity: Continues to simultaneously aid police departments to realize their own equity goals as well as advance the scientific understanding of issues of equity within organizations and policing.
  • Civil Rights Education and Enforcement Center: CREEC is a membership organization that has the goal of ensuring that everyone can fully and independently participate in our nation’s civic life without discrimination based on race, gender, disability, religion, national origin, sexual orientation or gender identity.
  • Color of Change: The largest online racial justice organization in the country, helping to fight to end the war on Black people in our country.
  • Equal Justice Initiative: Works to provide legal representation to those wrongly convicted or unfairly sentenced.
  • Fund for Black Journalism: Supports small Black newspapers. The voice of the Black press has consistently been the drumbeat for Black America for almost 200 years — from the initial cries to end slavery, to the coverage of Black soldiers in the Civil War.
  • Grassroots Law Project: Focuses on reforming the justice system.
  • Highlander Center: Through popular education, language justice, participatory research, cultural work and intergenerational organizing, they help create spaces — at Highlander and in local communities — where people gain knowledge, hope and courage, expanding their ideas of what is possible.
  • Let Us Breathe Fund: Created in the wake of the murder of Eric Garner. They provide funds to Black and multiracial organizations fighting structural violence and racism in New York City.
  • Movement For Black Lives: Seeks to influence national and local agendas in the direction of our shared vision for Black lives.
  • National Black Food and Justice Alliance: National Black Food and Justice Alliance (NBFJA) is a coalition of Black-led organizations working towards cultivating and advancing Black leadership, building Black self-determination, Black institution building and organizing for food sovereignty, land and justice.
  • National Black Justice Coalition: America’s leading national Black LGBTQ/SGL civil rights organization focused on federal public policy.
  • NAACP Legal Defense Fund: Builds political power and supports communities of color.
  • National Bail Fund Network: Provides emergency rapid response funds across 60+ community bail and bond funds. In addition to providing information about bail funds in each state.
  • National Bail Out: A Black-led and Black-centered collective of abolitionist organizers, lawyers and activists building a community-based movement to support our folks and end systems of pretrial detention and ultimately mass incarceration.
  • National Urban Fund: An advocacy group working to bring economic empowerment, academic opportunities and civil rights to the underserved in America.
  • Northstar Health Collective: Physicians, nurses, healers, herbalists and doulas work in alliance with mainstream and anti-authoritarian organizations to create safe and healthy events.
  • Project VOYCE: At Project VOYCE, they focus resources and energy on re-imagining democracy and addressing inequity to elevate a new generation of social justice leaders.
  • Reclaim the Block: Organizes Minneapolis community and city council members to move money from the police department into other areas of the city’s budget that truly promote community health and safety.
  • Southern Poverty Law Center: Teaches tolerance, fights hate and seeks justice.
  • The Bail Project: To secure freedom for as many people as possible and fuel momentum for equal justice.
  • The Innocence Project: Exonerates the wrongly convicted through DNA testing and reforms the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice.
  • United Negro College Fund (UNCF): The nation’s largest and most effective minority education organization to help more African American students attend and graduate from college.

Global Organizations Advancing Racial Justice:

  • Amnesty International: Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 7 million people who take injustice personally. It’s campaigning for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all.
  • Grassroots International: Grassroots International connects people in the U.S. with global movements solving the root causes of inequality and climate change.
  • Humanity in Action: Together with over 2,150 Fellows and Senior Fellows, who are committed to social justice all around the globe, its an international non-profit, non-partisan and non-governmental organization. Its objective is to facilitate and promote dialogue to understand and respond to the challenges that democratic societies face as they become increasingly diverse.
  • Human Rights Watch: Human Rights Watch exposes human rights abuses like torture, violence against women and child exploitation.
  • Minority Rights: Minority Rights Group International campaigns worldwide with around 150 partners in over 50 countries to ensure that disadvantaged minorities and indigenous peoples, often the poorest of the poor, can make their voices heard.
  • One Young World: One Young World identifies, promotes and connects the world’s most impactful young leaders to create a better world, with more responsible, more effective leadership.

Hold a volunteer campaign. Encourage employees to donate their time to volunteer with organizations supporting racial equity and people of color.

  • Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) – Denver: CEO’s program model provides a road map for participants to achieve a long-term goal of remaining attached to the legitimate workforce and maintaining their freedom through returning citizens to employment (post-incarceration). They have volunteer opportunities to support mock interviews/resume writing.
  • Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition: Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition mission is to eliminate the overuse of the criminal justice system and advance community health and safety. Its people convicted of crime, survivors of crime and the families and allies of both. It advocates and organizes for public safety strategies that are more holistic, effective and just.
  • Colorado CURE: CURE is recognized as the leading organization making efforts to reduce crime through criminal justice reform.
  • Colorado Juvenile Defender Center: The Colorado Juvenile Defender Center is dedicated to ensuring excellence in juvenile defense and advocacy and justice for all children and youth in Colorado.
  • Empowerment Program: Holistically helping individuals build healthier lives from the inside out. Trauma-Informed, Gender-Responsive and Holistic Behavioral Health Treatment and Services.
  • My Brother’s Keeper (MBK): Through this national initiative, the City and County of Denver shares the vision of the MBK Alliance, which is to make the American Dream available to all boys and young men of color by eliminating gaps in their opportunities and outcomes.
  • Rocky Mountain Children’s Law Center: Serves Colorado’s abused, neglected and at-risk children. Its team of legal professionals and social workers work as a unit to make sure they consider the whole child in every decision and recommendation.
  • Second Chance Center, Inc.: Second Chance Center is determined to be the state’s premier community re-entry program and a model for the nation. SCC offers case management, mentoring and vital resources to assist formerly incarcerated individuals in reestablishing their lives and becoming successful members of the community.
  • The Reentry Initiative: To empower individuals to transition from incarceration to a fulfilling and meaningful life through gender-specific services.
  • VolunteerMatch: A searchable volunteer site where you can select filters for Advocacy & Human Rights, Justice & Legal and Race & Ethnicity.

Advocating for Change

Corporations have large influence on today’s society. Changing laws and policies can be hard and require long-term advocacy work. One way to support racial justice is by supporting anti-racism policies.

Please note: This is not a comprehensive list of all the organizations and resources advancing this work and B:CIVIC does not endorse any specific organizations. If you feel an organization is missing, please contact us at info@bcivic.org.

Colorado Organizations Advancing Systemic Change:

  • ACLU of Colorado: The ACLU of Colorado is the state’s oldest and largest civil rights organization.
  • Colorado Black Chamber of Commerce: Serves the needs of African American owned businesses and provides economic opportunity and support to them as well as the communities they serve.
  • Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition: Eliminates the overuse of the criminal justice system and advance community health and safety.
  • Colorado Juvenile Defender Center: Ensures excellence in juvenile defense and advocacy, and justice for all children and youth in Colorado.
  • Denver Justice Project: Works with historically marginalized communities to address systemic racism by transforming law enforcement and the structure of the criminal justice system through intersectional movement building, direct action, advocacy and collaborative education.
  • Good Business Colorado An association that advances the values of its business members by advocating for local, state and federal policies that reflect its values.
  • Rocky Mountain Children’s Law Center: Advocates for children and youth, drives systemic reform and boldly challenges the status quo so that every young person who has experienced trauma or instability has the opportunity to thrive.
  • Young Aspiring Americans for Social and Political Activism: Endeavors to build the self-efficacy of youth who desire to make change in our communities, pursue social science degrees and social justice careers.

National Organizations Advancing Systemic Change:

  • #8CANTWAIT: Focuses on reducing killings by police through restrictions of force policies.
  • ACLU Racial Justice Program: Aims to preserve and extend constitutionally guaranteed rights to people who have historically been denied their rights on the basis of race.
  • American Sustainable Business Council: Released a blueprint of policy recommendations for states and localities to address the impacts of COVID-19 while building more resilient economies, based on input from more than 400 business leaders.
  • Ban the Box: A campaign to give those with past convictions a fair chance.
  • Black Futures Lab: Transforms Black communities into constituencies that change the way power operates—locally, statewide and nationally.
  • Campaign Zero: Analyses policing practices across the country, researches to identify effective solutions to end police violence, technical assistance to organizers leading police accountability campaigns and the development of model legislation and advocacy to end police violence nationwide.
  • Center for Policing Equity: Continues to simultaneously aid police departments to realize their own equity goals as well as advance the scientific understanding of issues of equity within organizations and policing.
  • Change.Org: An global platform for signing petitions, on any topic.
  • Color of Change: A Black-led racial justice organization fighting campaigns for political, corporate and media accountability and change. They have an active petition to end violence against Black people.
  • Mayor’s Pledge: Commit to Action. A call for mayors, city councils and police oversight bodies to address police use of force policies.
  • Movement For Black Lives: Seeks to influence national and local agendas in the direction of our shared vision for Black lives.
  • NAACP: Hosts conversation on the crisis, promotes social movements and take action through its #WeAreDoneDying campaign.
  • National Black Justice Coalition: Provides leadership at the intersection of national civil rights groups and LGBTQ/SGL organizations, advocating for the unique challenges and needs of the African American LGBTQ/SGL community.
  • New Era of Public Safety: Focused on encouraging your mayor and city council to demand their police departments adopt the guidelines below to promote accountability and protect civil rights.
  • PolicyLink: A national research and action institute advancing racial and economic equity by Lifting Up What Works®.

Please note: This is not a comprehensive list of all the organizations and resources advancing this work and B:CIVIC does not endorse any specific organizations. If you feel an organization is missing, please contact us at info@bcivic.org.

Questions or have a resource you’d like included?

Contact us at info@bcivic.org.