Something big was in the works in November when I teased a bit about my presentation at B Lab's Champions Retreat showcasing the tight link between racial equity and wellness. And now, I can finally share: BE MORE with Anu will serve as B Lab's official and exclusive partner for their Racial Equity and Wellness Learning Journey, equipping the B Corp network with the fundamentals of Breaking Bias work at the intersection of racial equity and climate justice.
This is a dream come true for me! If you've known me for a while, you know that I became interested in the B Corp movement, and business as a force for good more broadly, all the way back in 2008; I even published a legal note about benefit corporations in 2011!
As the CEO of a proud benefit corporation -- one which strives at the heart of its mission to break bias and end racism and all other -isms in our lifetime -- I can't imagine a more exciting way to engage thoroughly with a community so near and dear to my heart doing work at the core of my professional mission.
Dr. Tiffany Jana and I at 2022's Champions Retreat gathering in Philadelphia
Racial Equity and Climate Justice for all B Corps
More than anything else, I'm thrilled to be bringing this message at scale to an international community of impact-driven and values-aligned businesses invested in being the change that finally moves to end racism (and all forms of -isms) in our world. I'm thrilled to play a role in the development of a new generation of voices and leaders who will inherit this work from us.
One of the cornerstones of all of our programs and trainings at BE MORE is that institutions are made up of people. This sounds like such a simple idea, but at its core it informs the way that we teach about internalized, interpersonal, and institutional bias. The tight link between racial equity and wellness that I spoke about at Champions Retreat in November is a perfect example of this: we cannot have equity without wellness, and vice versa.
I'm grateful to Hugues Sygney and Kylie Nealis, as well as the entire team at B Lab US & Canada, for their vision around programming for racial equity and climate justice. I'm proud and excited for the B Corp community at large to experience these programs and come one step further along their journey to break bias. And I'm looking forward to sharing what we learn with our community as we begin what I'm sure will be an amazing experiment.
If you're interested in moving forward with a similar experiment with your own teams, get in touch with us or learn more about our programs here.