thinking Differently About Inclusion, race and Social Justice
At General Motors, we aspire to be the most inclusive company in the world. In every moment, we must decide what we can do – individually and collectively – to drive meaningful, deliberate change.
this year, the global automotive company made that bold commitment. “the culture of inclusion that we aim to create is one where we all see and value each other,” said telva mcgruder, gm’s first Chief of diversity, equity and inclusion. “it’s a culture where we seek to lift up each other all the time, each and every one of us. And it’s a company where everyone feels welcome.” to crystallize gm’s commitment, Chairman and Ceo mary Barra formed an inclusion Advisory Board (iAB) to provide consult to the company’s senior leadership team. Additionally, gm has resolved to advocate for equality in social justice, education, health care and economic opportunities for the Black community and other marginalized groups. Accordingly, general motors designated $10 million to support organizations that promote inclusion and racial justice. An initial $1 million will go to the nAACP Legal defense and education Fund. the company is determining additional recipients based on input from internal and external sources, including employee resource groups (ergs) and the iAB. these commitments are promoting more active dialogue about inclusion, race and social justice. eleven ergs are collectively sharing their stories and helping engage employees in understanding cultures, traditions and circumstances, and gm’s leadership teams are committed to turning awareness into action. “A year from now, what i really expect to see is that we are different than we are today.” mcgruder said. “We will be thinking differently about diversity, equity and inclusion. We will also understand where we are on our journey, what we have to do and be in the mode of constantly working our continuous improvement practices.”