Birmingham, Alabama: Putting People First

Editor’s Note: This is an op-ed from Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, cosigned by Tom Bates, Rich Bielen, Turner Burton, Kelly Caruso, Mark Crosswhite, Nancy Goedecke, Lee Styslinger, III, Mark Tarr, John Turner, Tim Vines and Dr. Ray Watts.

Courtesy of Birmingham Business Journal

Birmingham has been defined by race: both the epicenter of racial oppression in America and the cradle of the Civil Rights Movement. For each Bull Connor, there was a Fred Shuttlesworth; for each clenched fist, there was an open hand.

In the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, our nation is once again grappling with the wounds of racism. This is not the first time a Black life was extinguished on camera by force. But, this time seems different, because we hear Floyd’s last words as his first words, “Mama.”

No one can ignore the power of that pain, that fear.

That scene has sparked conversations in cities, boardrooms and C-suites across America. People believe things should change, but they aren’t confident they will.

Because of our history, we believe Birmingham has a responsibility to be a leader in making change happen. Because our current civic and corporate leadership refuse to allow the status quo to be maintained, we believe Birmingham can become a model for change.

We must start by investing in what makes Birmingham the vibrant city that it is: our people.

First, our business community recognizes that our economy is only as good as the investments in the productivity of its workforce. The Birmingham Promise (www.birminghampromise.org) is a downpayment on our future, enabling young people to access prosperity even if they weren’t born into it. In other communities, Promise programs produce a more diverse talent pool, reduce poverty, and decrease the racial achievement gap.

Because of investments from local corporations and philanthropy, nearly 800 Birmingham City School graduates will go to college tuition-free on this last-dollar scholarship in fall 2020. When they graduate, we want them to come home to the place that recognized their private hopes and dreams and invested in them.

Second, we are calling on companies to join us in leveraging our purchasing and procurement power as employers to create economic opportunities for minority-, women-, and other disadvantaged business enterprises (MWDBEs).

In Greater Birmingham, Black people constitute 28% of the population but own just 3% of businesses. That represents the largest racial disparity in business ownership among metro areas with more than one million people in the country.

We have a long way to go, but this is a matter of urgency and importance. Doubling the Black business ownership rate would create over 500 new businesses in the region and add more jobs in our community.

As employers, we need to improve our efforts in supplier diversity, and as business leaders who care about the economy, we must recognize the power of expanding our bench of MWDBEs. Investing in local suppliers, people of color, and women adds richness and depth to our community while adding jobs, promoting entrepreneurship, and supporting small businesses for the long run.

The City of Birmingham is launching the VITAL Program (Valuing Inclusion To Accelerate and Lift), and we are challenging other companies to join us in measuring what they value: publishing an annual performance report on spending with MWDBEs. Beginning in January 2021, we will work with partner companies to publish a report in the Birmingham Business Journal.

Our first reports will establish a transparent baseline for us to improve upon each year. If large and mid-sized employers collectively commit to measuring our performance in doing business with MWDBEs, we can become a city where entrepreneurs from all backgrounds can unlock their fullest potential and contribute to our economy.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. reminded the nation in a Letter from a Birmingham Jail that humanity is “caught in a network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.” Over a half-century later, too many Birmingham residents still struggle to grasp that single garment of shared fate. Let’s demonstrate that our young people matter to all of our futures by investing in their education. Let’s be intentional in doing business with MWDBEs, because when they flourish, we all benefit.

Birmingham, let’s be the City that moves from conversation to action.

This letter represents the CEOs or Presidents of Protective, Hoar, Shipt, Alabama Power, Mayer, Altec, Encompass, Regions, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Alabama Media Group and the City of Birmingham, respectively. This pledge is ongoing, and we hope other regional employers will join us. More information will be forthcoming.