Darren Walker: Corporate America’s Culture is White

Darren Walker: Corporate America’s Culture is White

Darren Walker, the President of the Ford Foundation, speaks on the importance of recognizing White privilege in the workplace and how that privilege creates barriers for Black individuals to succeed in corporate America. This interview with CNN gives Darren’s perspective on how the limited number of Black CEOs represented on the Fortune 500 list reflects the ongoing systemic racism that keeps Black individuals from moving up on the corporate ladder. After watching the video, if you feel inspired to learn more about Mr. Walker’s perspective on whiteness in Corporate America, his OpEd from the New York Times can be found here. If you are not a subscriber to the New York Times, there will be a small fee to access the article.

Journal Prompts

• Mr. Walker uses the phrase, “Inequality asphyxiates hope,” during his interview. In the context of the systemic issues he references, what does this mean to you? Do you agree with this idea?
• How would you answer the question asked by Mr. Walker, “What are you willing to give up?” when making changes to confront systemic racism in Corporate America?
  • Based on your answer, would you be building something better for everyone, a specific group, or yourself?