Companies need to be disproportionate on the racial agenda, says Mover director

In November 2020, João Alberto Silveira Freitas was beaten and killed by two security guards at a Carrefour unit in Porto Alegre. Black man, he died on the eve of Black Consciousness Day.

Episodes like this can reveal the lack of commitment of large companies to the racial agenda. At the same time, they can serve as a framework for transformations.

It is still not possible to say that João Alberto’s murder changed the corporate world, but he motivated some initiatives. That same month of November, large companies came together to create Mover, a movement for racial equity that today brings together 47 companies, such as Ambev, BRF, Coca-Cola, Magalu, Nestlé and PepsiCo.

The movement aims to generate 10,000 new positions for black people in leadership positions by 2030, in addition to impacting 3 million black professionals with employment and entrepreneurship initiatives.

For Carlos Domingues, executive director of Mover and leader of the diversity and inclusion area at PepsiCo, companies need to be disproportionate in their initiatives today so that racial equity can exist in the future.

“To be disproportionate is to have specific programs and initiatives for black people and black women,” she says.

According to him, initiatives to combat racism do not only serve the black population, but the whole of society, and Mover can be a tool to encourage these actions.

“It is a serious commitment, which in addition to providing intellectual and financial capital, is also an internal commitment, to change the face, color and representation of leadership positions within the organization”, he says.

Mover is currently formed by the following companies: Alcoa, Aliansce Sonae, Ambev, Americanas SA, Arcos Dorados-McDonald’s, Atento, Bain & Company, BRF, Cargill, Coca-Cola Brasil, Colgate-Palmolive, CSN, Danone, Descomplica, DHL Supply Chain, Diageo, Disney, EF, General Mills, Gerdau, GPA, Grupo Carrefour Brasil, Heineken, JBS, Kellogg, Klabin, Kraft Heinz, L’Oréal Brasil, Lojas Renner, Magalu, Manserv, Marfrig, MARS, Michelin, Mondelëz International, Moove, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Petz, RD – Raia Drogasil, Sodexo, Tenda Atacado, UnitedHealth Group Brasil, Vale, Via, XP Inc. and 3M.

Mover aims to be a tool to combat racism. How?

We have three major goals. One of them is to carry out the transformation within our companies, ensuring black representation in leadership — which is where we are able to act effectively.

Another objective is to take investment outside the companies, impacting 3 million black people through public notices for training, employability and connection with entrepreneurs.

The third goal is to be a platform that helps the population to become aware of racism and anti-racist practices. Last year, for example, we held Mover Day, where we took racial discussion to 1.3 million employees at our companies.

There are other movements in favor of the racial agenda in the corporate environment. What sets Mover apart from these initiatives?

I don’t know if there is anything that sets the Mover apart. The idea of ​​the group is movement. We are able to build initiatives together, between organizations.

It has an important part, and this can be a differentiator, which is the commitment that companies have made with black leadership. Companies that are part of Mover will deliver 10,000 new black leadership positions by 2030. This is a commitment that sets us apart, helps us rethink our recruitment and development processes.

How many of these 47 companies currently have black CEOs?

Mover is doing data collection work to show what our baseline is [linha de base], in view of the goal we want to achieve. But currently, we have three CEOs who are self-declared black.

Does Mover have a budget for the initiatives?

The companies that participate in Mover make an annual investment, which we use for the structure, communication and also for the public notices that we will launch in partnership with institutions, in order to provide employability, entrepreneurship and training. But each company continues with its responsibilities and internal investments.

And what is the annual budget?

Around R$ 15 million.

Mover appeared shortly after João Alberto’s death at Carrefour. Did the case motivate the creation of Mover?

There is more than one motivator for the creation of Mover. Some companies that are part of the group were already meeting between April and June 2020 to create the We Movement, which took help to small retail at the beginning of the pandemic.

This initiative awakened the notion that it was possible to do better and bigger things, leveraging actions and initiatives that we already have within organizations. Diversity was one of the agendas.

In November, there was this case [do Carrefour]which was also a motivator for us to get together and write a letter the following week with a commitment to build a plan to combat structural racism.

After eight months, we came up with this plan consisting of three pillars: internal company commitment to black leaders; impact 3 million black people in society; and to be this communication tool to point out anti-racist paths and practices.

Episodes of racism continue happening in the corporate world. What can a company do to avoid this?

We have created booklets, training and capacity building. One strength we have made is in relation to racial literacy. We have taken to organizations the history of the racial issue in Brazil, which is still very unknown.

It is important to connect with the past to understand the inequalities that exist in our society today and also to point out ways. Everyone who participates in Mover has already gone through this literacy.

You occupy a leadership position in a large company, which is an exception in the Brazilian context. What difficulties have you experienced in the job market that still need to be changed?

I believe black consciousness comes with time, you know? I never had any doubts about my blackness. I’m a deep black, so for me that was always very evident. But as I grew professionally, I became more alone. Whether within organizations or in the spaces I frequent, such as restaurants.

This started to bring me more awareness and a more critical look. I came to understand that we need to review, a lot, the way policies [corporativas] have been implemented. They did not have an inclusive look, they were not intentional and, many times, they could even reinforce structural racism.

During my training journey to the job market, I was little aware of the difficulties and I can say that I was not so critical. But after I climbed the career ladder, I started to pay more attention to this whole process. Today I am clear that policies and processes need to be reviewed and they need to have intentionality to make the transformation that we want.

In addition to the issue of lack of diversity in the workforce, another problem that appears is related to remuneration. How is the salary issue in the market today?

I see several companies that have adopted equity pay policies [equidade de pagamento]. Mover has some companies with good practices, and this is one of the ways. But another way is to ensure that people of color are in leadership positions.

Looking at the scenario today, how far are we from this equal pay?

I don’t have data from today, but a 2019 survey shows that we still have white men at the top of the pyramid, then white women, black men, and black women. We are urgent with this issue and we need to accelerate representation, making companies consciously look at wage equity.

The disadvantages in the labor market are even greater for black women. In your view, is it necessary to create specific programs for this audience?

Yes, I think it has to be intentional. We need to be disproportionate today to ensure that, at some point, we will have equality. To be disproportionate is to have specific programs and initiatives for black people and black women.

The ESG agenda has driven the racial agenda in the corporate world. Do you think the commitment is real or is there a company just trying to capitalize on this speech?

I am an optimist, but I have also seen concrete cases. Mover is one of them. We have 47 major organizations that are committed to being an instrument of change. It is a serious commitment, which, in addition to providing intellectual and financial capital, is also an internal commitment, to change the face, color and representation of leadership positions within the organization.

Are there companies that make this something for social media? Maybe there is, but what I’ve seen are companies that are managing to land in stocks and launch programs that actually propose change.

Recently, a campaign on racism carried out by the Bodytech gym network was criticized on social media, including by authorities. How do you evaluate this type of case?

When we don’t position ourselves, we end up being positioned. An advertisement such as Bodytech’s brings to the market an opportunity for dialogue, reflection and says what the company’s values ​​are. I see this in a very positive light.

That there is a reaction in society to this type of positioning is not new. Robin DiAngelo, who is an American writer, wrote a book talking about anti-racist practice and brings a concept about white fragility, which has to do with it.

When affirmative or awareness-raising actions arise, there is a reaction due to this fragility. People who have privileges cannot give up at first or recognize these initiatives as important for the whole of society to move forward. These initiatives are not just important for black people to win.

Do you think this kind of retaliation can make companies walk away from the discussion?

It is always a possibility, but we have several recent cases that show that the opposite movement [ao dos críticos] it’s much bigger. Some companies, for example, made a Father’s Day campaign bringing the LGBTQIA+ issue and the actions soared. We have evidence of how this movement is much more potent among people who engage than among people who try to cloud the discussion.

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Carlos Domingues, 34 years old

Head of diversity, equity and inclusion at PepsiCo and executive director of Mover, he has been a human resources professional for over 15 years. He holds a degree in Accounting from Universidade São Judas and an MBA in Economics and HR from FGV (Fundação Getulio Vargas).