The Berkeley Haas Center for Responsible Business (CRB) believes that for our work to be truly responsible, we must take an anti-racist stance in all that we do in order to create a foundation of inclusion and equity. By anti-racism we mean admitting and acknowledging where our policies and practices have been racist or upheld ideals rooted in white supremacy and instead, adopting ideals that “challenge racist policy and power” (Ibram X Kendi).
CRB Anti-Racism Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that anti-racism is not a one-time statement, it is a life-long commitment to learning, progress, action, and accountability. We are committed to continuously educating ourselves, setting actionable goals to fight systemic injustices and racism, and holding ourselves accountable in this work.
Anti-Racism through the Berkeley Haas Defining Leadership Principles
At the CRB and Berkeley Haas, we live our distinctive culture out loud by embracing our four Defining Leadership Principles: Question the Status Quo, Confidence Without Attitude, Students Always, and Beyond Yourself. These pillars help align anti-racism work with our engrained school values and the greater UC Berkeley community.
Question the Status Quo
Question the Status Quo means integrating anti-racism into our corporate partnerships, speaker events, academic curriculum, research, and student advisory board. By challenging the conventional way that capitalism centers around profit, the CRB will lead by championing bold ideas that will structurally progress the business realm toward more inclusive and equitable processes that create a space for diversity.
Confidence Without Attitude
Confidence Without Attitude means we move humbly, working in collaboration with our community of partners, colleagues, and students in this anti-racism work to build a foundation of empathy, inclusion, and trust within the spaces that the CRB operates. This includes listening to the most marginalized voices in our communities and uplifting and amplifying the work of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) in our events, research, and curriculum.
Students Always
As Students Always, we must actively seek out diverse perspectives as a part of our lifelong pursuit of personal and intellectual growth. We acknowledge that there is always more to learn and it is our responsibility, with the power and influence we have through the CRB, to put in the time and effort to actively keep learning and seek out feedback from the communities we work with.
Beyond Yourself
The Beyond Yourself principle means that the CRB will not center itself in this anti-racism work, but, rather, that we understand our place in leading ethical and responsible businesses practices that focus not just on environmental stewardship, but are also committed to anti-racism work. We will take the time to consider the long-term impact of our influence and actions when making decisions about the future of the CRB and the work that we do by garnering community input and feedback on our efforts. This also means we will put the collective good above our own interest. In our corporate partnerships, this may look like turning down collaborations with companies who do not commit to anti-racism as outlined in our agreements.