WMC FBomb

California's Board Diversity Law May Not Survive, But It's Done Important Work

Wmc Fbomb Office Unsplash Drew Beamer 10918

California has said it will appeal a judge’s ruling against its board diversity law. But regardless of the outcome of the appeal, the law has already had a positive effect. I serve on the board of an organization encouraging young women to lead in politics. I know board diversity matters and why it’s good for California and the country.

I was 13 the first time I clearly noticed the countless barriers I would face because of where I come from, where I was raised, and who I am. My family was working with an after-school program that had nominated my best friend and me to apply for a scholarship that would pay for a private education. They told us they would submit the application on my behalf. But they didn’t know if it would be successful because I didn’t have a Social Security number at the time. That’s when I learned I was undocumented (today, I have Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals [DACA] status). I didn’t get the scholarship as a result.

I realized then I needed to decide how I wanted to respond in situations like that one. I realized people were going to put labels on me. I knew I would have to push back because I define who I am, not others. I knew these labels would try and strip me of my power, but I know my own value and power.

So I got involved with student government. I took every learning experience and leadership opportunity that I could, and I grew. I brought my communities with me as I came into those spaces as they were spaces where the communities I come from were not represented. In college, I majored in politics. Those classes were male- and white-dominated, but I showed up anyway. Then I interned in the office of then-Senator Kamala D. Harris. My purpose being there was to bring the narratives of the communities that make up who I am. Growing up in East Oakland, I understood that voices like mine had been absent from the table. But I realized if they were not going to give us a seat at the table, we would need to build a different table.

It’s the same in business. America has an idea of what leadership is, but it’s based in the past. The sooner we have a conversation about who is making powerful decisions and why that matters, the better. Young women, and particularly young women of color, are stepping up and leading now. They’re running for political office, and they’re stepping into boardrooms. Society benefits when we listen to diverse voices, and business does, too. We all do better when we tear down the barriers to leadership for those groups who historically have not had fair representation at the table.

McKinsey research showed that gender-diverse boards are more financially successful. The year that research was conducted — 2018 — was also the same year California passed its board law, SB 826. This law requires public companies based in California to have women on their board of directors. Women held 31% of California’s board seats by 2021, more than twice as many as when the law passed in 2018.

In that context, let’s ask ourselves about a recent news story. If the world’s richest man wants to buy a company but is accused of sexual harassment, what then? What are the chances that a board of directors will see the risk to the company if that person takes over? Do they improve if the board of directors is more diverse? What if that billionaire runs other companies which have settled discrimination lawsuits? In that case, is it in the best interests of everyone concerned to have decisions made by a diverse group of people? If we continue to ask ourselves more questions, we are talking about environmental, social, and governance risks. It matters whether a company will put us at risk of more climate change. It matters that companies value working conditions for their workers. Clearly, who is at the table making decisions matters.

For me, the future comes back to my own experience. I ask myself whose voices are excluded from the table and why. And I know we need to do the best we can to bring more such people into our decision-making. It’s why I work as a paralegal at a legal services agency, protecting and advancing the rights of detained immigrants through representation, advocacy, and education. I’m grateful California was courageous enough to pass this law. As we look to the future, we can be grateful for the effect it had, and I hope we get the rest of the way to parity.



More articles by Category: Economy
More articles by Tag: Women's leadership
SHARE

[SHARE]

Article.DirectLink

Contributor
Deyci Carrillo Lopez
Categories
Sign up for our Newsletter

Learn more about topics like these by signing up for Women’s Media Center’s newsletter.