As recession fears consume many workplaces, executive decision-makers are stepping back from their prior commitments to diversity and inclusion – sunsetting DEI committees and employee resource groups along the way.

We’re honored to have our founder, Daniel Oppong featured in a conversation with Essence on the latest in the Tech Industry as DEI pledges are being quietly defunded, “Tech Companies Are Quietly Defunding Diversity Pledges And Industry Layoffs Are Hitting Black And Brown Workers Hardest—Experts Say The Message Is Clear“, written by Ebony Flake.

Here’s a preview of the article, check out the full piece here.

Following the murder of George Floyd more  than 200 tech companies, including tech giants Amazon, Apple, and Facebook, made unprecedented pledges to confront structural racism within their organizations. Many promised to add Black Lives Matter commitments to their mission statements. They vowed to hire more Black talent and embed diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) into all facets of their organizations.

Two and a half years later, those promises have primarily fallen flat. A 2022 study showed minimal increase in the percentage of Black employees since 2020. For Daniel Oppong, a corporate diversity expert and founder of DEIB consultancy, The Courage Collective, the message is clear. “It signals that companies are more interested in managing public perception than they are interested and invested in and driving real change,” he said.

Read the full article over on Essence.