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Articles by Amelia Ahl
The Cost of Carelessness: A Response to Chris Wright’s Climate Dismissal
Chris Wright’s recent article in The Economist (“Climate change is real — and not a crisis”) misrepresents the economic, physical, and social reality that we confront daily. His claims are cloaked in backward-looking economic theories and false dichotomies; not only does he ignore the science, he also disregards visible and growing economic and social effects of climate change on American citizens.
U.S. Business Leaders Can Tip the Balance on the Death Penalty
Business leaders have been stepping up to support Black Lives Matter and other justice reform efforts in the U.S., but until recently the death penalty escaped much notice. Somewhat ironically, former President Donald Trump can take credit for pushing the issue back into view. Inadvertently or not, he has provided corporate citizens with a powerful new opportunity to embrace abolition of the death penalty as part of their pursuit of equal justice and support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
'Gender Parity in Boardrooms ASAP,' This Group Tells the U.S. Tech Sector
As we continue to read about the global pandemic's disproportionate impact on women, one group has said enough is enough when it comes to promises of gender parity and instead seeks fast change at the very top.
U.S. Business Leaders Confront New Voter Suppression Efforts
Photo: The Texas State Capitol, where Republican legislators have introduced bills that would restrict access to the ballot box – which amounts to voter suppression, say critics here and in other states where similar legislation is making their way through statehouses nationwide. Several leading corporations stepped up their get-out-the-vote initiatives last year as one way to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
This International Women's Day Campaign Tackles Gender Bias in Virtual Workplaces
Before the coronavirus struck, roughly 4 in 10 working U.S. women reported facing gender bias or discrimination while on the job — and early research indicates the pandemic may be making matters even worse.
What Business Can Learn about Gender Diversity from the U.S. Department of Energy
It is difficult to overstate the significance of Jennifer Granholm and the ways in which she has led, among them furthering gender diversity. As the first woman to serve as Energy Secretary for the U.S., Secretary Granholm will steer policy for a nation that leads the world in energy production as well as scientific research, through a network of 17 national laboratories and hundreds of partners.
Choose to Challenge? Women Over 50 Invented It.
With International Women’s Day 2021 coming up on Monday, this year’s theme, “choose to challenge,” is timely, considering how women have largely shouldered the burdens that the global pandemic has piled on over the past year. Yet if we’re talking about choose to challenge in a wider context, face it: Women over 50 years old wrote the playbook. Let’s start with what many women over 50 have lived through both in their personal lives and professional careers.
As Attention Turns to Black Farmers, This Global Food Giant Pledges Support
The resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement last summer and fall drew attention to structural racism in the United States, with a focus on local law enforcement and corporate policies. Left unaddressed was the federal government’s pivotal role in pushing generations of Black farmers off the land. Last month, a group of Democratic U.S. Senators introduced new legislation that would help right some of the wrongs.
Money Talks: Dominion Lawsuit Could Help Stop Racist Lies about Voter Fraud
Photo: A member of the National Guard on duty securing the U.S. Capitol building ahead of Joe Biden’s inauguration. Fallout from the violence includes the Dominion lawsuit in addition to other litigation filed against news media networks and individuals working for former President Trump. U.S. President Donald Trump’s 2020 campaign strategy rested on lying about the existence of massive voter fraud, even before the very first ballot was cast.
Black Influencers Push Back Against Working for Free
No one should have to work for free, but some are asked to do it more often than others. One thing even the most clueless among us should have learned over the past year is that people of color are sick of spending extra time educating people on how to treat each other with respect and dignity in the workplace, often with no compensation. Now, count in Black influencers as the latest group of people to push back against working for free.
The Risks of ‘Business as Usual’ Corporate Political Contributions
In the wake of the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and concerns about a peaceful and democratic transition of power, many businesses are reconsidering their relationships with government – including the effects of corporate political contributions.
The Top 6 Barriers to Better ESG Data (and What To Do About Them)
It’s becoming an all too familiar refrain: Investors need better data on companies' environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance. And that refrain is typically followed by the litany of problems that exist with the current sources of ESG data.
Six Companies Stepping Up with Investments in Economic and Social Justice
Since last autumn, when the financial titans Bank of America and American Express announced billion-dollar initiatives to pursue economic and social justice, corporate America has been relatively quiet on this front. Among the reasons is a that certain insurrection last month blindsided many companies, an event that forced many of them to review their lobbying and political donation budgets after a huge wave of criticism.
Why Is the Resilience Field So White?
This article on resilience and race was written with Chauncia Willis.
Facebook Tries to Leap Into the Next Era of Civil Rights
In the wake of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and as a new presidential administration takes shape, Facebook has hired Roy Austin to become its first VP of Civil Rights. Austin has worked as a civil rights lawyer for over 25 years, and he has also served on the White House Domestic Policy Council as Deputy Assistant to the President for the Office of Urban Affairs, Justice and Opportunity during the Obama administration. Facebook talks meaningful change after a boycott and a walkout?
The SDGs as a Global Language for Business
Socially responsible businesses have been buzzing around the edges of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for more than three years. However, there has been little attempt to reach a common understanding of what the goals mean for business. Until now, that is.
IBM Gets It Right on Cancel Culture and Corporate Responsibility
On the heels of the failed insurrection of Jan. 6, several prominent Republicans have raged that the real danger to American democracy is “cancel culture.” That view is quite understandable. After all, several top U.S. corporations have already canceled their financial support for scores of Republicans in Congress who abetted the insurrection, and the fallout has only just begun.
The U.S. Prison System is Failing People and Communities Amid the COVID-19 Crisis
As 2021 gets underway and COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to skyrocket across the United States, recent data from the Marshall Project, a nonprofit media outlet covering criminal justice, show that one in five people who are incarcerated in U.S. prison system have tested positive for COVID-19. This rate is more than four times higher than that of the general population.
It Wasn’t Only Energy Companies and Banks: The Sports Owners With Shady Ties to the Capitol Riots
The swift reaction many companies have shown as a result of last week’s violence during the U.S. Capitol riots is almost as breathtaking as the silence they exhibited in the weeks leading up to Jan. 6. Suddenly, more companies are demanding refunds on their political contributions made to the likes of Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley.
Flight Attendants Set the Bar High for Employee Activism After the Capitol Breach
A week after the U.S. Capitol breach, it’s become clear the riots were much worse than we thought. Meanwhile, workers across many industries have drawn a line in the sand, telling their employers to take action. We saw this at some of America’s largest tech companies, including Microsoft, where employees spoke out against past political donations to the likes of Sens. Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley and Lindsey Graham.
Corporations Demand Refunds from the 'Sedition Caucus'
It takes a lot for anyone, or any organization, to ask for a gift back. Hence it's hard to ignore the symbolism of Hallmark, the iconic Kansas City-based greeting card and gift product company, asking Josh Hawley, Missouri senator and leader of the so-called "sedition caucus, to return past political contributions.
U.S. Businesses React to Trump Insurrection: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Evidence is mounting that the storming of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6 was a purposeful insurrection with the intention of disrupting the Electoral College certification and kidnapping, if not killing, the vice president and members of Congress. In that context, the efforts of U.S. businesses to counteract the damage wrought by the attempted insurrection carry all the more weight.
Finally, After Five Years, Digital Platforms Slam Their Brakes on the Trump Train
For several years, critics of social media companies urged them to kick the current U.S. president off their platforms, or at least find a way to rein him in. Those companies, including Twitter, countered that no matter what one may have thought of Donald Trump’s ongoing behavior, as a leading political figure there was value in giving the public an opportunity to interact with him.
Taking on Silicon Valley, Google Employees Start to Unionize
After years of mounting worker organizing, Google employees, in addition to those within other Alphabet companies, announced the formation of the Alphabet Workers Union earlier this week.
More Than a Nasdaq Proposal Is Needed for Diversity in Corporate America
In the future, the year 2020 will be remembered primarily for COVID-19, the devastating global pandemic that ran rampant for most of the year. But we’ll also recall 2020 as the year the United States finally got serious about social justice, starting with diversity. The coronavirus pandemic has exposed numerous social inequities in our culture.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce Stands Up for Diversity Training
When President Trump issued a new executive order that regulates diversity training among federal contractors, he unleashed a firestorm of protest from civil rights activists and other social advocates. That executive order also provoked a rare but strong critique from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in the form of a public letter to the president.
COVID-19 Has Pushed Nonprofits to the Limits, Especially Those Led by People of Color
Many businesses around the globe have demonstrated adaptability and resilience as they faced the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some companies, often led by their employees, have also had somewhat of a role in supporting the uprising against police brutality and systemic racism. Others have been a model on how to navigate through crisis, as with Intel activating its in-house pandemic response team.
Achieving Social Equity Is Connected with Climate Finance
In our previous article, we focused on how the world’s poorer citizens are most vulnerable to the globe’s most dangerous crises: COVID-19 and climate change. The people at most risk of contracting COVID-19 – low-income individuals, women, workers dependent on working in the informal economy, and racial and ethnic minorities – are also the same citizens that are most at risk due to the climate crisis.
This is a Defining Moment for CSR Leaders: Stand Out, or Lose Our Faith
We’re at a tipping point for the corporate social responsibility (CSR) movement. One year ago, the world’s top CEOs made a bold proclamation about the purpose of business, stating that businesses exist for more than generating wealth for shareholders, and in fact, exist to benefit all stakeholders, including employees and the communities they serve.
The Climate Crisis Is Pushing Companies Toward Social and Political Activism
The climate crisis is linked to all the upheaval the world is experiencing in 2020, and more companies are responding in kind. As calls for social and environmental justice grow worldwide, with the global uprising in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, and as Climate Week 2020 focused on achieving a net-zero future through a just transition, businesses continue to explore how to build climate equity and environmental justice into their operations.
Ending Racial Inequality Could Add $5 Trillion to U.S. GDP
Citi Group recently published an eye-opening report on racial inequality in the U.S. The bank’s report outlines four main racial gaps that confront many Black Americans: wages, education, housing and investment. Citi concludes that if these gaps had been closed 20 years ago, $16 trillion could have been added to the U.S. GDP. If those gaps were to be closed today, the results would potentially add as much as $5 trillion to the country's GDP over the next five years.
Walmart Extends a Hand Up to Indian Farmers
The Walmart Foundation recently announced it will award two grants totaling $4.5 million to the NGOs Tanager and Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN) in order to improve the livelihoods of Indian farmers. These grants are a part of a $25 million commitment the foundation made in September 2018 to support smallholder Indian farmers over the course of five years.
As Diversity Training Becomes the New Red Scare, Corporate Leaders Stay Mum — For Now
U.S. President Donald Trump lobbed a firebomb into the field of corporate social responsibility on September 22 when he issued an executive order banning certain types of diversity training within the federal government and among its contractors and grant recipients. The order includes loss-of-contract and other punishments for those who disobey.
How Should Companies Lead in Troubled Times? Allyship Is Only a Start
Co-written with Mackinzee Macho, a program manager in the Regenerative Justice Cities and Regenerative Design Programs at the Foresight Lab. Macho has delivered podcasts and written essays highlighting her program areas and plans on teaching courses and convening dialogues on these topics as well. She is a candidate for the Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Science at Carthage College. She is currently considering the pursuit of graduate studies in International Diplomacy.
The B Corp Movement Starts Recruiting Multinationals
B Lab, which to date has enlisted more than 3,500 companies - otherwise known as B Corps - in 70 countries to be a force for social good in the world, recently announced the launch of B Movement Builders. This initiative seeks to bring together multinational brands working to improve the role of business in the world.
Philanthropy, Race and Overcoming Lack of Access to Networks
As discussed yesterday, the world of philanthropy wields powerful influence, but that generosity often leaves out people of color. Two of the biggest factors holding back philanthropy’s quest for social change are rooted in race, according to recent research from Echoing Green and The Bridgespan Group. One is understanding the role of race in the problems that philanthropists are trying to solve.
Female Entrepreneurs Shine Best When They Tell Their Own Stories, In Their Own Words
In the highly-detailed and purposefully-organized 2020 book, "Female Entrepreneurs: the Secrets of Their Success," authors John Smythe and Ruth Saunders don’t tell the stories of accomplished business women — they let the women tell them. And what we learn from their stories is there is no typical female entrepreneur. Women who go on to start their own businesses have a myriad of backgrounds, motivations and goals.
A Millennial’s Journey From Burnout to Regeneration
GIMME A BREAK I’m 29 years old and I just took a break for the first time in my adult life. I’m talking about a real break, during which I spent time with family, saw friends I hadn’t seen for years, took yoga classes during the middle of the day, and had days in a row where I had nothing planned at all. During my time off, I felt a complex surge of emotions, from deep pleasure and relaxation to piercing anxiety and guilt.
Walmart Extends a Hand Up to Indian Farmers
The Walmart Foundation recently announced it will award two grants totaling $4.5 million to the NGOs Tanager and Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN) in order to improve the livelihoods of Indian farmers. These grants are a part of a $25 million commitment the foundation made in September 2018 to support smallholder Indian farmers over the course of five years.
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