Dana Peterson, the chief economist at The Conference Board, has studied the monetary cost of racial inequality, concluding that it costs the United States $16 trillion over the past 20 years. As an expert in the field of economics, Ms. Peterson makes recommendations as to how companies can close this racial gap.
Journal Prompts
The video, “Citi Says Racial Inequality Costs U.S. Economy $16 Trillion,” references Dana Peterson not putting her picture in her emails out of fear that she won’t be taken seriously based on her appearance. Have you ever encountered situations within a work setting where your own experiences with bias influence how you show or hide your identities? How did you navigate this?
In her video, Ms. Peterson references the concept of labor market segmentation. Is labor market segmentation something that could be a concern for your company? What are some ways to address systemic biases in industries that experience this segmentation?
Ms. Peterson discusses using metrics to examine equality within corporations. What metrics can your company collect and analyze to create a snapshot of how your company is doing well within the area of racial equality and what improvements can be made?