African-American Business Legacy - Forbes Special Sections

Advertisement 2Marsha JohnsonSenior Vice President &Chief Diversity OfficerSouthern CompanyThe Power of InclusionAt Southern Company, wework hard to provide reliablelow-cost energy, satisfy ourcustomers and bring value toour shareholders.We do this through a workforcethat is diverse, engaged andcommitted to our individual andcollective success. Our core valuesare grounded in ‘UnquestionableTrust,’ ‘Superior Performance’and ‘Total Commitment’ and providethe foundation for our businessand diversity strategy.We believe diversity and inclusionprinciples must be woveninto everything we do. Whetherworking with customers,employees, shareholders, suppliersand vendors or communities, ourgoal is to achieve superiorresults through partnerships thatdemonstrate respect, value andfull engagement. At SouthernCompany, diversity and inclusionare truly competitive advantages.To learn more, visit us at:just want rider seats in the front of the bus— we wanted the driver’s seat, too.”The work continued in the 20th centurywith the Fair Share Program, whichincreased jobs and promotions for blackworkers; Black Dollar Days, which demonstratedblack purchasing power (today at$700 billion); and the Economic ReciprocityInitiative, which annually surveys the expendituresof more than 50 major corporationson workforce diversity, corporate philanthropyand supplier diversity. “As weeducate consumers on the value of theirdollar, they will make more prudentspending decisions, rewarding businessesfor their best practices and holding themaccountable for those that need improvement,”explains Bond.In 2007, the NAACP launched itsConsumer Choice Guide, which highlightsinnovative corporate diversity and inclusionstrategies. “The NAACP is both an advocateand a valuable corporate resource,”says National Board Vice Chair RoslynBrock, who began her work with theNAACP as an elected youth representativeto the Board and serves as Director ofAdvocacy and Public Policy for BonSecours Health Systems, Inc. “Throughmutual respect, we will achieve a commongood, benefiting industry and the communityat the same time.”Just this year, the launch of Gateway toLeadership, a summer internship program inpartnership with the Money ManagementInstitute, gave another boost to studenteconomic literacy by placing African-American students at Wall Street firms andconcluding the summer experience with acase study competition.Recruitment and PipelineDevelopmentAmong the most common best practicesin diversity and inclusion are widespreadrecruitment and strong employee development.NAACP programs have long workedto increase the visibility of African-Americanfuture employees and to urge corporatesponsors to hire them. “Without sincereoutreach efforts and adoption of best practicesthat cut across racial lines in the newglobal environment, corporations will neverbe as profitable as they may hope,” saysNAACP Interim President and ChiefExecutive Officer Dennis C. Hayes. Skillbuilding, mentoring, enlightened managementpolicies and leadership developmentamong employees will build a diversepipeline to the top positions.The most successful corporations havetaken these lessons to heart, and as a result,“As we educate consumers on the value oftheir dollar, they will make more prudentspending decisions.”— Julian Bond, National Board Chair, NAACPTHE NAACP: A CENTURY OF ECONOMIC EQUITY ACTIONwww.southerncompany.com1915 NAACP protestsagainst racial stereotypingby launching anationwide boycott ofthe racist movie, Birthof a Nation.1923 Dr. W. E. B. DuBoiswrites two essays on blackseparatism as the editor ofThe Crisis magazine.