The Ugly, the Bad and the Good
What a difference one year can make. Leading up to 2020, companies all of sizes and descriptions were coming around to the idea that treating their staff, their community and the environment well doesn't just feel good—it's good for business, too. Then last year burst onto the scene, bringing with it not just a deadly pandemic but also a breakthrough for equity, diversity and inclusion.
Thanks to the efforts of Black Lives Matter and its fellow social justice movements—which have made it clear that marginalized groups such as the BIPOC community will no longer accept the status quo—organizations can't just pay lip service when it comes to systemic racism and other forms of discrimination. If you run a business, you're expected to take those problems seriously or risk losing employees, customers and brand loyalty.
Besides, discrimination hurts society at large, as Heather Mcghee explains in her new book, The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together. Mcghee, who is Black, points out that in the U.S., slavery's influence lives on in low wages and shoddy health care for working Americans of all ethnic backgrounds. Lest Canadians feel smug, this country also has much to answer for in the racism department, from the disappearance of B.C.'S Hogan's Alley to its appalling treatment of Indigenous Peoples.
Diversity and inclusion is one of five categories in our second annual Business of Good Awards (p.23), which offer positive and hopeful stories during a trying time for local companies, entrepreneurs and employees. Congratulations to the 20 finalists for showing that it will take more than a pandemic to weaken their commitment to social responsibility.
We're very grateful to our returning panel of judges—darian Kovacs, Carol Liao, Matt O'grady and Mary Ellen Schaafsma—for selecting the winners and runners-up in five categories. For deftly managing the awards, a big thank-you to associate editor Nathan Caddell, who profiled many of the contenders.
There's also something good happening in B.C.'S postsecondary education sector, which has started offering micro-credentials for professionals and others looking to upgrade their skills or learn new ones. Contributor Dee Hon surveys that landscape in “Mini School” (p.14) by talking to students, educators and administrators. We hope you learn something new.