A few weeks back, we reached out to a group of CEOs and business leaders with a very big request: join Carrie and Alex Orfinger, publisher of the Washington Business Journal, for an honest, on-the-record, uncomfortable conversation about the anti-racist commitments and statements we have made over the last twelve months, and assess our progress against those commitments.

The conversation comes at an interesting moment. Just days after the one-year anniversary of COVID-19 being declared a pandemic, and as hate crimes against the Asian American and pacific islander community and, in particular, hate crimes against Asian American seniors have been on the rise. What’s more, the conversation was recorded just hours before a gunman killed eight people, including six Asian American women in Atlanta, Georgia. 

Our framework: We have each carried a unique responsibility during this time; to care for the health of our employees, while managing and protecting the health of our businesses. The intertwined nature of events from this past year have meant that we must consider the culture of business differently. We must think about the weight of the world’s events on our teams in ways we likely haven’t considered them before.

This was an actionable conversation and not a comfortable one. It is not comfortable to be called to grow. It is not comfortable to stretch beyond the habits and tendencies with which we have become complacent. It is not comfortable to go beyond ourselves. Each guest this week came into this space with a spirit of self-examination, accountability, and a willingness to examine how businesses like ours can contribute to more inclusive, and equitable workplaces for all people. 

Participants: 

• David Simnick
  CEO & Co-Founder at Soapbox + Managing Partner at Impact Driven Brands
• Lidia Soto-Harmon
  CEO, Girl Scout Nation's Capital
• Karen Wawrzaszek
  Principal, Financial Planning Strategist and Lead Impact & ESG Investment Specialist at SBSB, LLC - 
• Raj Agrawal
  President, Provoc
• Tim Wang
  Founder and Principal, TDW+Co
• Elizabeth Yan
   Head of Business Development, 1623 Capital
• Michael Akin
  President, LINK Strategic Partners
• Frederique Irwin
  Founder & CEO of Her Corner
• Alex Orfinger
  Market President and Publisher at Washington Business Journal
• Carrie Fox
  Founder and CEO, Mission Partners

Here we are, to think about where we are, where our sectors are, and where we must go to ensure that the racial reckoning so many business leaders are engaging isn’t a fleeting moment, but a movement for justice. With that, you’ve made it to the final episode of our second season. We hope this conversation, like others this season, gets you thinking, acting, and pressing forward.

• (00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward