LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Greater Louisville Inc. (GLI) on Monday announced the official launch of “Greater Louisville’s Racial Equity Pledge.” Driven from feedback from GLI’s Business Council to End Racism and under the leadership of Inclusion Workstream Leader and President of HJI Supply Chain Solutions, Condrad Daniels, the pledge encourages businesses in the region to commit to taking intentional steps to advance economic equity.
“The business community in Louisville has always played a large role shaping economic and social opportunity for its citizens, and Greater Louisville’s Racial Equity Pledge is an invitation to continue making the community and economy we share more equitable,” said Daniels. “This pledge reflects the management practices leading companies of all sizes can take to address the specific challenges our Black and minority neighbors and colleagues face every day, and positions Louisville to grow and build a stronger national reputation as a place to live, work and start a business.”
The pledge outlines commitments to take action including instituting formal diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, developing and empowering Black talent, supporting Black-owned businesses through equitable vendor spend, championing transparency, and building empathy through mentorship.
“GLI and our investors have shown we are committed to advancing equity throughout the community. This pledge takes that commitment a step further by promoting practices to advance equity within our economy,” said Sarah Davasher-Wisdom, president and CEO of GLI. “We recognize this is only a first step, but it is an important stride in creating a region where people of all races can flourish. I hope every business in Greater Louisville feels compelled to sign this pledge and commit to making your company and our community more equitable.”
To complement the pledge, GLI is creating a toolkit with useful materials and resources to support businesses on their journey towards equity and has partnered with the Global Economic Diversity Development Initiative (GEDDI) to create a scorecard to help businesses monitor their progress by industry. Both resources will launch in May but are not required to be utilized by signers.
Leaders from businesses and organizations of all sizes are encouraged to sign the pledge. While many local businesses have signed onto national pledges, this pledge is significant in that it shows local support for issues that are specific to Louisville and builds on efforts to advance equity already underway in the community.
The pledge is now open to the public and already has 56 senior-level signers from 38 businesses. Interested businesses can sign here. More information, including a list of frequently asked questions and an up-to-date list of signers, can be found here.
