Last summer, major public companies across the country pledged to increase diversity in their boardrooms, one of the actions taken after the murder of George Floyd in police custody. Corporate directors set goals, and some have begun to make progress, with investors, activists and others tracking their commitments on racial equity.

“Investors want to better understand one of the most critical assets of a company: its people,” SEC Chairman Gary Gensler said earlier this week in a Twitter thread. “I’ve asked staff to propose recommendations for the Commission’s consideration on human capital disclosure.”

NEW YORK, Aug 6 (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approved a proposal from stock exchange operator Nasdaq Inc (NDAQ.O) that requires its listed companies to have diverse boards, or explain why they do not. The proposal requires that companies have two diverse directors, including one who identifies as female and another as an underrepresented minority or LGBTQ+, or explain why they do not. Companies also have to publicly disclose the diversity of their boards.

Corporate America: We need to talk about your Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). We became familiar with ERGs when many welcomed us to speak on the gender and racial justice themes we write about in our books. As one of the most powerful trends in the U.S. workplace, ERGs are a way for underrepresented groups to band together to help recruit more talent like them into their companies and make sure that talent feels supported and gets promoted.

William Spriggs, a professor at Howard University, wrote an open letter last year to his fellow economists. Reacting to the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, he began the letter with a question: “Is now a teachable moment for economists?”

America's biggest banks insist they can and will do more to combat the nation's racial inequality crisis. The trade group behind JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Bank of America and dozens of other big banks is detailing 30 best practices lenders can take to ease inequality in Black communities.

The Structured Finance Association (SFA) today released the following statement commemorating Juneteenth.

Black women in America face several hurdles to success, particularly regarding educational and professional opportunities, with the white-Black wage gap for female professionals at $12,700 in 2019. These inequities also mean lost productivity and lost economic growth.

SFA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (“DEI”) Advisory Committee is excited to announce a series of workshops designed to lead participants through interactive, insightful conversations on how to create more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplaces. Our inaugural workshop, Thursday June 24 at 3:00 PM EDT, will be facilitated by Latesha Byrd, CEO & Founder of Byrd Career Consulting, and will explore approaching conversations on racial equity in a thoughtful manner, leading with empathy, building trust in colleagues to create a space where they can be their authentic selves, and providing safe environments for marginalized employees to feel seen, heard, and valued.

A recent article by Bloomberg profiles the 10 black bankers that are reshaping wall street. Wall Street prizes innovators — people who think differently and change how business is done. We’ve identified 10 Black bankers, endorsed by their peers for being leaders who stand out in an industry that’s working to transform itself from one dominated by White men.