As Black History Month comes to an end, we are excited to share this roundtable with industry leaders for an in-depth discussion on representation, inclusion, and how companies and brands can continue to combat the destruction of DEIB initiatives when they are more important than ever. Joining moderator and Multicultural InSiteshost Juan Ayala is Darren Sherriff, Senior Vice President of Advancing Ad Solutions, FOX Advertising, and Danyelle Wright, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, The E.W. Scripps Company.
Representation In Life and Career
“We watched channel 7, which was CBS, from the beginning of the morning through the ‘stories’ or soap operas and the evening news. There was an African American female anchor, which was pretty revolutionary for the time,” Wright explained when asked about an early example of representation growing up. “I remember seeing Sylvia Newsome and thinking ‘wow, there’s someone that looks like me!.’ We all say politics is local, and where I saw representation in the media was local with her.”
“When you think about the concept of intersectionality, people often say ‘what does representation look like for you?.’ I show up as an African American woman at all times. I can’t splice myself and say, ‘this is what it looks like for me as an African American, this is what it looks like for me as a woman,’ that’s just a fact.”
Impact of Vulnerability in Leadership
Speaking on mentorship in the workplace, Sherriff recalled a manager who wasn’t afraid of admitting when he was wrong or uninformed, which made a big impact on him. “We enter this field and career paths as minorities. You show up as you are. You may feel like you have to be perfect. I had one manager who, when on difficult calls with clients and vendors, would say ‘Look, I don’t know what you guys are talking about. Explain this to me like I’m a six-year-old.’ For him to show that level of vulnerability on the call made me realize that I don’t have to be perfect, but I have to get it perfect. The fact that he would put himself out there and slow it down so that everyone would be on the same page and move forward, had an impact on my career and how I go about things.”
Calls To Action for The Industry
“There is quite a temptation for companies to bandwagon, especially those who are newcomers to the space and don’t have the structure, funds or the endorsement of leadership in place. And equally opposed are the ones digging in saying, we are going to continue what we’re doing.” Wright explained. “There is a way to thread the needle, which is to still continue with our efforts, but we keep a risk mitigation standpoint in mind. Who wants to be the next target? No one. No one wants to be sued or a PR nightmare. Our 2025 focus within our team is to focus on inclusive leadership, engagement, behaviors, and practices. That’s emblematic of a much larger thing. In order to not be performative, you have to integrate. You have to integrate inclusive leadership practices, you have to actually practice it, so it models a way for others to follow and you have to reward it. I don’t mean from a financial incentive, but from an accountability standpoint. You have to make sure it’s all part of your systems, so it becomes integral to your success to your companies, intertwined with your business strategies and part of your DNA.”
Sherriff added, “Ultimately, what we focus on is ‘why are we doing this in the first place?’ Is it something everyone felt that they had to do so they wouldn’t get written up? Now are they stopping because they fear they’ll get written up? If we express to our leadership team why we're doing this and how this is for the betterment of the company, making sure that everyone working feels as included, protective, understood and heard, that just benefits the company. Forget the numbers you’re trying to reach, think of why you’re doing this for the benefit of the company and its employees. It’s going to grow your workforce and your team and build a more productive, efficient and happier workforce.”
Watch the full conversation above, on YouTube or on your favorite podcast platform.
Click the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friends.
The opinions expressed here are the author's views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillage.org/MyersBizNet.