Blog / The Business Perspective
Our Strength is Our Diversity
February 22, 2019
by Maria S. Salinas
Earlier this week, I represented the business community on a panel about diversity and race in higher education. Hosted by Charles R. Drew University’s President Dr. David Carlisle, the event brought together more than 250 community and civic leaders for a thoughtful conversation that began with a keynote by Secretary Julian Castro.
While the focus of the conversation was diversity in respect to higher education, the topic has wide-spread relevance, especially for the business community. Our next generation workforce is currently sitting in classrooms across the region, and their success is key to the future of the business community. Addressing inequalities and the barriers to success is hard work, but it must be done.
The business community must be at the table with our educational partners for this important conversation. If we don’t act now and act together, we’ll lose an entire generation of kids.
Our vitality and strength as a region stem from our greatest asset – our diversity. California, and Los Angeles specifically, was built by the innovation, ingenuity and courage of its diverse people. But we don’t just have a story of great diversity … we also have one of great inequality. And, if we don’t solve this inequality problem, it will increasingly be an economic and national competitiveness problem.
The business community must step up to ensure our diversity continues to be supported, fostered and celebrated.
Leave a Comment
Comments submitted are subject to review by the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce prior to posting. The Chamber reserves the right to monitor and withhold comments that include personal, offensive, potentially libelous or copyright protected language, materials or links. Only comments relevant to the topic will be posted. Comments posted must have a valid email address. View our full terms & conditions.