It’s Time for Organizations to Create Challenges for Social Justice

Since 2015, Skild has seen more organizations invest time, money, and people in corporate social responsibility. For example, Harbor Freight has spent millions of dollars to reward teachers who are shaping the lives of their students. In the world of healthcare, the Administration for Community Living (ACL) has connected older adults and people with disabilities with the social services that they desperately need. Meanwhile, the Cisco Global Problem Solver Challenge tackles issues related to not only education and healthcare, but also such environmental concerns as greenhouse gas emissions.

In the past year, we as a nation have experienced a lot of social turbulence. Granted, this turbulence is nothing new, but it’s clearly been magnified by our time sequestered in our homes. This past summer, more people than ever before found themselves immersed in issues of race and equality. The pandemic brought with it issues surrounding personal freedoms versus communal responsibility. By January, a growing distrust of media and government manifested in an actual attack on the United States Capitol.

In the time since, we’ve seen social issues further divide the country into two diametrically opposed, seemingly warring camps. Such is the environment in which organizations find themselves operating in 2021 . . . and beyond.

As the headlines make abundantly clear, organizations such as Coca-Cola, Delta, and Major League Baseball are finding that it’s no longer enough to invest in just the environment, healthcare, and education. They now must take a stand on issues of equality for women, the LGBTQ+ community, and people of color. 

In your opinion, how might these organizations best use their financial and influential might to affect enlightened change in these increasingly bifurcated times?