CEOs and top-level leaders of companies, organizations and public entities are being encouraged to sign a CEO Commitment to Racial Equity as part of an initiative unveiled today by the Greater Des Moines Partnership.

The initiative was developed by the Partnership with input from the Directors Council and its One Economy Blueprint for Action, and leadership at Capital Crossroads.

By signing the commitment, leaders are asked to work to create equitable, inclusive and diverse workplaces and communities.

Jay Byers, CEO of the Greater Des Moines Partnership, said that while the Des Moines region is frequently recognized on many “best of” lists, work is needed to create a more equitable and inclusive community for everyone in the region.

“I think there are a large number of businesses and organizations in our community that have been committed to these principles,” he said. “I think that level of commitment varies from business to business in terms of the specific things they’ve focused on. But I would say with what’s happened in 2020, that all of us can say we can do better, we should do better and we’re going to do better.”

Byers said the events of 2020, from the coronavirus pandemic that has hit communities of color especially hard to the spotlight being cast on racial inequities following the slaying of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, have made it even more important to commit to achieving racial equity.

“It’s a recognition that there is still a lot to learn,” Byers said. “While we have made some progress on some of these things, we need to continue to learn and we need to continue to listen, and we need to continue to develop and implement new strategies because we know there are still a lot of inequities in our country, in our state and in our region. Elevating that commitment for all of us has never been more important.”

A list of the more than 100 early adopters of the commitment can be found on the Partnership’s website.

Teree Caldwell-Johnson, CEO of Oakridge Neighborhood and a member of the Directors Council board, said it’s important for everyone to be involved in efforts to achieve racial equity.

“Not only in changing the narrative but also in upping our game when it comes to the issue of racial equity,” Caldwell-Johnson said.

She said she hopes the CEO Commitment helps create a sense of urgency that will “not only galvanize the community but really get our attention around where we all fit in this larger discussion around the issues of race and equity.”

The events of this year have served as a tipping point, or a “day of reckoning,” on the racial equity issue for the country, she said. 

“There are so many things not only about the pandemic, on one hand, but a racial reckoning on the other, that really challenges us to really think more differently than maybe we had before,” Caldwell-Johnson said.

She described what’s happened in 2020 as a “moment” that should not be ignored.

“We are at a moment and that moment can’t be lost,” she said. “We must take advantage of the moment and the momentum to create a movement that can really help us to move the needle on racial equity here in Des Moines.”

Caldwell-Johnson said the commitment, combined with metrics contained within the One Economy Blueprint for Action, begins the path to accountability for racial equity in Des Moines.

“I think creating measurable outcomes and continuing not to only hold ourselves accountable in the workplace, but also in the community, is the next iteration of this work,” she said. “What that looks like will be determined moving forward. 

“We really believe that this pledge, accompanied by some of the metrics that are in the One Economy report, and additional work ahead of us, will create that one-two punch that will really help us move the needle on racial equity should look like in Des Moines and how we hold ourselves accountable for achieving that.”

The pledge is one effort being taken by the Partnership and its Inclusion Council, which are partnering with the United Way of Central Iowa to host the Inclusion Summit on Nov. 10 and the21-Day Equity Challenge, which begins Oct. 5.

CEOs and top-level leaders of companies, organizations and public entities who would like to sign the commitment should email Angie Stepsis at astepsis@DSMpartnership.com.

“I think the timing of [the pledge] really is about how we create that continuum of racial equity efforts that allows everyone to figure out how they can come under the tent, be involved, and what I may do may not be what you do, but as long as we’re all doing something it’s going to make a difference,” Caldwell-Johnson said.