July 26, 2021
We want to serve as a resource. To keep you abreast of critical issues dominating the national discourse—including diversity, equity and inclusion; the digital divide; STEAM education; entrepreneurship and small business—we’re compiling timely news and information in one place because the first step to fixing a problem is understanding it.
T.D. Jakes Foundation in Action
Our founder and chairman, T.D. Jakes, recently sat down with Axxess CEO John Olajide as a part of the Conversations for Good video series. In the episode, Chairman Jakes discusses the importance of building bridges to connect people with opportunities and using business as a force for good. Watch now.
The T.D. Jakes Foundation is officially launching the PATHWAY program’s Virtual Hiring Platform, a 365 days-a-year program connecting job candidates to corporations actively recruiting diverse talent. We encourage people at all stages in their careers, from entry-level candidates and recent college graduates to experienced job seekers and advanced-degree holders to become part of the program! Visit our website to learn more and submit your information and connect with companies looking for diverse talent!
Need additional resources around STEAM this summer? The T.D. Jakes Foundation has compiled a list of STEAM resources for the arts, coding, and engineering and even resources specifically for kids and teachers. Check out our STEAM resources here.
DEI in the Workplace
In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, corporate America pledged to do better, saying it would diversify its leadership, encourage equity and take concrete actions to root out systemic racism. But a USA TODAY analysis of previously undisclosed hiring records from dozens of top firms found that, more than a year later, executive roles remain overwhelmingly white and male. Black and Hispanic workers, particularly women, tend to be concentrated in the lowest ranks, and some of the nation’s most powerful brands still refuse to disclose data on the gender, ethnic and racial makeup of their workforce.
Nearly 1.8 million women have dropped out of the labor force amid the pandemic and are now grappling with whether and how to return to work in a vastly different landscape — one where some jobs have disappeared, others are vulnerable to automation, and nearly all involve some level of health risk. Returning to work after so many months at home also means, for many mothers, finding a new form of child care and giving up the additional time spent with families and kids. Looking at the growth of the labor force pre-pandemic, 2.3 million fewer women are working now than would have been without the disruption. Read more in POLITICO.
A year after the 2020 summer-of-protests that demanded an end to systemic racism and propelled many companies to commit to greater representation, nearly 20% of organizations are not tracking any diversity metrics in their recruitment or hiring practices. Read more in iCIMS and Talent Board’s The State of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace report.
Digital Divide
In the Harvard Business Review, Bhaskar Chakravorti, Dean of Global Business at The Fletcher School at Tufts University, argues that the investment to close the digital divide proposed in the American Jobs Plan, while a major investment, falls well short of what’s needed to solve the problem. According to Chakravorti, the budget should have been two and half times as large as the original $100 billion. Read more here.
The global pandemic has made clear that remote work can increase productivity, boost engagement and lower costs. And employees want to continue to do it – at least some of the time – going forward. Research shows that more than 90 percent of employees prefer flexible work over punching a clock in a traditional office. While appealing on the surface, hybrid work models have the potential to create a new digital divide that, if left unchecked, will quickly establish two classes of workers and infuse the workplace with inequity and bias. Read more in TechRadar.
Black and Hispanic adults in the United States remain less likely than white adults to say they own a traditional computer or have high-speed internet at home, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted Jan. 25 to Feb. 8, 2021. But there are no racial and ethnic differences when it comes to other devices, such as smartphones and tablets. Read more from the Pew Research Center.
Education Update
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson is hosting the 25th Annual Mayor’s Back to School Fair at Fair Park on Friday, August 6, 2021. The popular annual event provides Dallas students and families with essential school supplies. As in the past, families will need to meet certain income requirements and must be Dallas residents or have a student attending a Dallas ISD school. Participants are required to pre-register by July 30th. Click here to register or find out more about the event.
As the 2021-2022 school year kicks off in August, the Dallas Independent School District has provided a list of six of the most important things parents should know about next school year.
The Final Frontier
Joined by an 18-year-old from the Netherlands and an 82-year-old aviation pioneer from Texas — the youngest and oldest to ever fly in space – Jeff Bezos successfully flew into space last week on his rocket company’s first flight with people on board. Read more about this amazing accomplishment.
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