This originally appeared on Forbes on March 12, 2021.
Deloitte's latest piece of research into racial equity—summarized in "The Equity Imperative" report—couldn't be more timely. With many diversity and inclusion (D&I) teams still finding their feet after the call for change from the Black Lives Matter movement and the racial inequity further exacerbated by Covid-19, companies know there is more attention than ever on D&I. "The disparate impact of the pandemic on Black and other marginalized people have really brought things into focus in a way that we could not turn away from," says Joanne Stephane, Principal, Human Capital, Deloitte Consulting. "People came together and demanded better, they demanded that organizations step up and make commitments."