Words to Live By (and Act Upon)

Thursday February 18, 2021 | Filed under:

Back in 2012, I challenged the audience at the ASI Power Summit to hire one minority sometime in the next year, calculating that if every top distributor heeded my call, in five years we’d have 25,000 experienced representatives courting new business. It’s not only the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing, because studies show people tend to trust and buy from people who look like them, culturally and ethnically.

While some progress has been made, it’s clearly not enough.

As ASI’s Stephanie Turner-Scott, director of corporate marketing (pictured in middle, with ASI's Virginia Lucas), makes clear in a new blog just launched by ASI's Diversity & Inclusion Council, “I’ve attended a few [promo] industry events in recent years where I was literally the only person of color in a room of a couple hundred people or more. Other times, the men outnumbered the women 2-to-1. So I want to see a shift and increase in representation, and more equality and respect.”

Change starts with each of us, at each of our companies, on each of our teams. Another initiative we hope resonates throughout the promo industry: The ability in ESP to filter by owners of color, veterans, “Small and Disadvantaged,” LGBTQ and more. Minority designations are self-reported by suppliers. For a full list, email customerservice@asicentral.com.

I hope you check out our Diversity council's new blog, updated monthly with new content, especially if you’re considering what efforts you can make at your own company. As we’ve all learned, particularly this year, each of us can play a part in making our world a better place. Here’s a recap of our first few posts:

  • The Deeper Significance of Black History Month is written by Sara Lavenduski, ASI executive editor of digital content, and features interviews with council members like Virginia Lucas, UX interaction designer. What I appreciate most about this story is its frank and honest assessment of racism and injustice, told through the prism of history and recent efforts underway at ASI and corporate America. As Virginia says, “While some changes have been made, there still needs to be a path to leadership for people of color and underserved groups.”

  • Words to Live By details the steps we’ve taken at ASI in recent years to become a better, more inclusive company, what’s coming up, and why it’s important to listen, grow and act all year long − and not just during holidays like Martin Luther King Jr. Day and observances like February’s Black History Month. We can and we will do better. 

 

  • The Diversity & Inclusion Council’s Mission Statement explains ASI’s guiding principles pertaining to leadership, recruitment, education and equality, along with the heart of the matter: “Regardless of race, creed, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, marital status, physical ability, veteran status and everything in between, the diversity council is committed to listening, learning and acting to ensure equitable treatment and representation of all.”