Fighting Racism and Becoming Better Allies

Welcome to this week's Retail Resources. This week, I'm dedicating this post to what I believe are valuable resources to help retail business leaders fight racism and become better allies. If there's anything you would like me to share in a future post, let me know by dropping me a line at mcampanelli@napco.com.

• LinkedIn has made its seven-course learning program "Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging for All" free through the end of June. Courses include "Unconscious Bias," "Skills for Inclusive Conversations," "Bystander Training: From Bystander to Upstander," and more. Check it our here.
• Korn Ferry is hosting a series of webinars this week called Race Matters. Topics range from how whites can become authentic allies in addressing systemic racism through structural inclusion to creating a racially equitable future as inclusive leaders, and more. For more information and to register, please click here.
• This Fast Company article discusses a plea from Aurora James, founder of the Brooklyn boutique Brother Vellies, for major retailers across the U.S. to commit to buying 15 percent of their merchandise from black-owned businesses. The campaign is dubbed the 15 Percent Pledge. “So many of your businesses are built on black spending power,” James wrote on Instagram. “So many of your stores are set up in black communities. So many of your sponsored posts are seen on black feeds. This is the least you can do for us. We represent 15 percent of the population, and we need to represent 15 percent of your shelf space.”
• The Female Quotient has put together a webinar series around how to "turn words into action, become true allies, and address racism head-on." You can register for the series, called the "Virtual Equality Lounge®: Moving From Conversation to Action," here.
• In this profound, thought-provoking and often hilarious Ted Talk with more than 2 million views, writer, comedian and commentator Baratunde Thurston reveals the power of language to change stories of trauma into stories of healing — while challenging us all to level up.
• Here's a list of books designed specifically to help you understand and dismantle racism. This article from Medium lays out 75 things white people can do for racial justice.
• In this heartfelt and moving article by Anthea Kelsick, co-CEO of B Lab U.S. and Canada, Kelsick describes how, when she stepped into her role as co-CEO earlier this year, "we made a commitment to go on the journey of becoming an anti-racist organization" and that "we have a responsibility to become vocal, visible anti-racist leaders." She also discusses Ibram X. Kendi in the article, whose book, "How to Be an Anti-Racist" is also important reading. (Also, check out Brene Brown's podcast interview with Kendi; it's fantastic.)
• This video, a part of the Harvard Business Review's "HBR Quarantines Series," discusses several actions leaders must take to address systemic racism.