As U.S. companies push to expand racial diversity, they can apply some lessons from their years confronting gender bias. Take boardroom diversity: About a dozen of the largest companies in the S&P 500 Index have no Black board members, and business leaders say they want to change that, adding non-White directors just as they have added women. Progress on racial diversity could require some of the same outside pushes that helped open the boardroom door for women—pressure from activists and shareholders and even government intervention. But gender parity and racial representation are different goals with different challenges. The women who've been elected to boards are largely White, often chosen because of their professional connections with White men. Popular culture's focus may have shifted to racial representation, but gender battles rage on. Pinterest is staring down a lawsuit with its former chief operating officer, who accuses the company of firing her for speaking out against bias, and Apple is facing accusations of sexism over its contract with a janitorial service owned by a woman. Employers are facing war on multiple fronts. —Marin Wolf Did you see this? The U.S. Justice Department has warned Yale University to stop considering race in determining admissions, citing evidence that White and Asian-American applicants are far less likely to be admitted than similarly qualified Black students. Students were unable to take critical exams in the U.K. this spring because of Covid-19, and they were assigned scores by an algorithm instead. Critics say the formula was skewed against students from low-income areas, but now there is no clear path to appeal the scores. The prime minister is faulted for the chaos and is losing ground to his political opponents. Taking her place on the Democratic presidential ticket, Kamala Harris is seen as a much-needed champion for historically Black colleges like her alma mater. Black Americans suffer from more than racism; a new book argues that their lives are shaped by a caste system that shunts many into menial service jobs. We love chartsYear after year, most college football players are men of color, and yet the ranks of coaches remain mostly White. A coalition of minority coaches is working to add diversity. Flocking to the suburbs A mass exodus is playing out across the U.S. Home buyers are ditching urban centers for suburban houses in a search for home offices and comfortable quarantine spaces, Bloomberg Businessweek reports. Exurbs are booming, but can it last? As the economy contracted and unemployment soared, the government propped up the housing market by slashing borrowing costs and freezing foreclosures. In California's Inland Empire, home builder Jimmy Previti is nervous about what comes after all that support ends: "Is this the little runup before everything runs off the rails? Nobody can tell." |
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