Celebrating 186 Years of Growth and Prosperity — December 4, 2024

As citizens across the nation voice their frustration and anger in the wake of civil unrest, we have heard from Memphis Business Leaders who want to create safe spaces for meaningful dialogue inside their organizations. In response, the Greater Memphis Chamber has created a list of resources for employers to use to help engage with employees to hold productive conversations and create opportunities to help build an anti-racist workplace culture.

Below is a list of resources business leaders can use to navigate this work inside their businesses.

Webinar: How to meaningful address racism and inequality in the workplace

The Greater Memphis Chamber CEO Beverly Robertson talks with John Daniel, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at First Horizon and Fred Towler, Chief Diversity Officer at International Paper on how to meaningfully address racism and injustice with employees.

Example Employer Tools, Statements and Culture-building Practices

Allyship Guide: From Awareness to Advocacy by Kroger & African American Associate Resource Group

Sample Letter from CEO from Doug Wenners, Prospero Health CEO

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital boasts rich tradition of inclusion, diversity, equity, and fairness

List of anti-racism resources & guides

How Should You Be Talking With Employees About Racism?

8 Lessons for Talking About Race, Racism and Racial Justice

how to take action

Recommendations from Doug Wenners, Prospero Health CEO

• Sign petitions calling for racial justice

• Donate to organizations that combat racism and address inequality

• Call or email your local representatives to ask them to take action against police brutality

• Become a better ally, friend, and colleague by listening and learning

• An Anti-Racist Reading List compiled by Ibram X. Kendi for The New York Times

Recommended Reads for Understanding Racism and Creating Cultural Consciousness

Books for Race Relations

• In the Shadow of Statues: A White Southerner Confronts History – Mitch Landrieu

• So You Want To Talk About Race – Ijeoma Oluo

• The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness – Michelle Alexander

• Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community – Robert Putnam

• The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America – Richard Rothstein

• How To Be Antiracist – Ibram X. Kendi

• Where Do We Go From Here Chaos or Community – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Books on American Slavery

• Slavery By Another Name – Douglas Blackmon

• American Slavery, American Freedom – Edmund Morgan

• Democracy in Black: How Race Still Enslaves the American Soul – Eddie S. Glaude Jr.

• The Color of Money: Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap – Mehrsa Baradaran

• They Were Her Property – Stephanie Jones- Rogers

• Immigration And The Remaking of Black America – Tod G. Hamilton

More options:

• Race, Work and Leadership: New Perspectives on the Black Experience by Laura Morgan Roberts, Anthony J. Mayo, David A. Thomas

• The Person You Mean to Be by Dolly Chugh

• White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo, PhD

• Courageous conversations about race by Glenn E. Singleton

Memphians on the move: voices of change

In response to the social injustice and protests surrounding the death of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbrey and others, this episode of Memphians on the Move is dedicated to solidarity and a forward lean for change. We feature a collection of messages from bellwethers who are personally and professionally motivated to impact racism and inequality. Watch the full episode below:

The Greater Memphis Chamber is committed to providing resources and information to help the business community create positive and effective workplace culture. Does your company have resources to share? Let us know.