Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Jun

Chambers Contribute to National Dialogue on Racial Inequity

Will Burns on Thursday, June 4, 2020 at 12:00:00 am

Chambers of commerce play a pivotal role in the communities they serve, a role built on leadership, trust and collaboration.

As communities grapple with the challenges of racial inequity, chambers are connecting with and listening to their community's most relevant stakeholders and seeking to be productive partners in local and national efforts to pursue meaningful solutions. Here are a few trends we identified during peer calls this week:

Talk to Your Team: Many chambers created opportunities for their teams to come together to share how they are feeling about the current situation and provide input on how the chamber should respond. Some used professional facilitators, others simply tried to create an environment of candor and trust. One interesting idea was to offer for your chamber to buy each staff member a book on a topic related to racial inequity. Then hold periodic meetings for staff to discuss and exchange the books. Here are a few recommendations. Send me your recommendations and we’ll publish a chamber reading list next week.

Identify Key Stakeholders: Many forward-thinking chambers have developed relationships as part of ongoing diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, but it’s never too late to start conversations with organizations like the NAACP, Urban League, United Way, faith-based organizations, minority business owners and elected officials and more. Open lines of dialogue and …

Listen: Chambers have a propensity for action. They see a problem, they pursue a solution. Take the time to listen to the stakeholders you identified. Understand how your organization is perceived by their leaders and the communities they serve. You are not going to build trust overnight. Be a good listener, and identify ways to support and build alliances that could lead to meaningful change.

Here are some of the initial statements we've seen from chambers across the country. If your chamber has taken action, please share your examples with Will Burns at wburns@acce.org.