FOR MOST BLACK PARENTS, HAVING “THE TALK”
with their children about how to interact with
police offi cers is an unfortunate, yet necessary,
coming-of-age moment. It doesn’t matter where
you live, what your job is, or how much money you
make. While Black families have been dealing with
this issue for years, the killings of George Floyd,
Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery last spring
brought the issue to the forefront for millions of
other Americans on a scale that no one—including
businesses—could ignore.How Moody’s is listening,looking forward, and adaptingin order to thrive.MAKING DIVERSITY
AND INCLUSION
A BUSINESS
IMPERATIVE
DK Bartley
Chief Diversity Offi cer
Moody'sCONTENT FROM MOODY'SA pivotal moment for the global risk assessment
fi rm Moody’s took place at a companywide town
hall meeting following the racial unrest this past
spring. One of Moody’s Black managing directors
shared her own story about having “the talk” with
her children. While she had achieved a great deal of
success at her job, she said, it hadn’t insulated her
and her family from the dangers of systemic racism
in America.
“I think it opened up a lot of employees’ eyes,”
says DK Bartley, Moody’s chief diversity offi cer. “At
Moody’s, we provide a safe space and see each other
as equals. But the minute you step [outside these]
doors, society may not care if you work at Moody’s.”
The solutions to the complex racial challenges
facing this country are neither simple nor quickly
achievable—and the fi rst step toward making real
progress is acknowledging that. At Moody’s, an
understanding of the nuances involved has led to
a multipronged, ongoing eff ort to promote greater
diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). This work is
motivated both by a sincere desire to do the right
thing—and an understanding that it’s a necessity
for responsible business.
According to Jinny Jeong, manager, Chief
Executives for Corporate Purpose (CECP), 2019
data from CECP’s Giving in Numbers 2020 Edition
report shows that 93% of companies say that their
measurement practices for DEI were either steady
or on the rise. When CECP asked similar questions
in a pulse survey of affi liated companies in spring
of 2020, 73% of companies said that they expect