Racial Justice

The Racial Justice Scorecard, with its key performance indicators (KPIs), informs corporate engagements by holding companies accountable for aligning their actions with their public statements—or lack thereof—on racial justice. While making public declarations of support is easy, ensuring that People of Color are equitably hired, paid, promoted, and retained is much more challenging.

As You Sow’s Racial Justice team evaluates the largest 1,000 companies by market capitalization, analyzing their websites, publications, and social media platforms to assess whether they have made a racial justice statement and how diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are embedded in their internal policies and external practices. This includes an examination of community engagement and environmental justice efforts.

The program offers a comprehensive corporate profile on racial equity, underpinned by the principle that environmental justice is inherently tied to racial justice. Achieving true racial equality is impossible without addressing the disproportionate environmental and climate-related impacts on communities of color.

This multidisciplinary initiative draws data from various sources, including corporate websites, press releases, and social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. It also incorporates findings from environmental databases such as EPA resources, and tracks public statements made by company leadership on racial justice. Furthermore, the research scrutinizes corporate endorsements of third-party letters, credible secondary and tertiary sources, as well as the companies’ advertising presence on platforms associated with known racist agendas.

To ensure that the initiative remains diverse and inclusive, As You Sow have assembled an advisory committee to help shape its purpose, messaging, and key performance indicators (KPIs). The team of diverse Research Associates collaborates closely with environmental justice experts and our advisory board to monitor corporate progress through an environmental justice lens. This framework shifts the burden of proof to polluters and dischargers, requiring them to demonstrate that they are not discriminating or failing to provide equal protection to racial and ethnic minorities, as well as other protected groups.

Frequency of data update

Racial Justice data is updated and produced quarterly for data licensees. Each quarter, researchers search company websites, regulatory filings, and other sources to accurately assign Key Performance Indicator (KPI) scores to companies. These scores reflect the company’s overall standing in relation to Racial Justice efforts. Companies also have the opportunity to engage with Racial Justice Program staff by submitting relevant documentation, which researchers review to determine whether it satisfies specific criteria.

Key Performance Indicators

As You Sow scores companies based on 27 key performance indicators (KPIs) to create the Racial Justice Scorecard. Eighteen of these KPIs focus on policies and practices, which are weighted more heavily than the nine KPIs assessing the language of statements, as we prioritize action over words.

Key Pillars

Racial Justice Statement

This pillar is composed of two metrics that examine a company’s statements addressing racial justice .

Racial Justice Statement: Looks at if a company had posted a statement on racial justice in between May 2020 and Dec 2022. The scoring is as follows:
- Yes, the company issued a racial justice statement. (1)
- No, the company did not issue a racial justice statement. (0)
Statement Post Location: Looks at where such a company statement was posted. The metric considers if the statements was located on the company’s website, its social media accounts, or another third-party website. The scoring is as follows:
- The statement was posted to the company’s own website. (5)
- The statement was posted to a third-party website (including the company’s social media account(s). (3)
- The company did not post a statement. (0)

Corporate Responsibility

This pillar is composed of two metrics that examine if the top executives of a company take responsibility for racial discrepancies within the company, as well as if People of Color (POC) are a critical part of the decision-making process.

CEO Responsibility: Looks at if a CEO took personal responsibility for racial disparities within their company.
- The CEO of the company took responsibility for racial disparities in company through a statement, or as a signee on a related pledge. (5)
- The CEO of the company failed to take responsibility for racial disparities in company. (0)
Solicits Input from, and Provides Resources to, Black Employees: Looks at if the company states that black employees are listened to and have their concerns heard (for example by providing “listening session” or having Employee Resource Groups focusing on racial diversity).
- The company does not state that black employees are regularly listened to. (0)
- The company does state that black employees of color are regularly listened to. (1)

Acknowledgement of Key Terms

This pillar is composed of five different performance metrics and examines the details within the company’s racial justice statement from May 2020 through Dec 2022. The content sought is concrete terminology such as victim naming, referencing relevant organizations, calling for criminal justice reform, acknowledging systemic racism, and antiracism.

Names Victims of Police Violence: Examines if a company names victims of police violence in statements made on racial justice.
- The company names victims of police violence. (1)
- The company does not name victims of police violence. (0)
States Black Lives Matter: Examines if a company states that Black Lives Matter in statements made on racial justice.
- The company states that Black Lives Matter. (1)
- The company does not state that Black Lives Matter. (0)
- The company does not have a racial justice statement. (0)
Calls for Criminal Justice Reform: Examines if a company calls for criminal justice reform in statements made on racial justice or has signed petitions to that effect.
- The company calls for criminal justice reform. (1)
- The company does not call for criminal justice reform. (0)
- The company does not have a racial justice statement. (0)
Acknowledges Systemic Racism: Examines if and how a company acknowledges systemic racism.
- The company does not acknowledge racism. (0)
- The company acknowledges pervasive racism or similar types of racism, but stops short of mentioning “systemic racism”. (3)
- The company acknowledges systemic racism. (5)
- The company does not have a racial justice statement. (0)
Identifies as Antiracist: Examines if and how a company identifies with respect to antiracism.
- The company identifies as antiracist. (5)
- The company does not identify as antiracist. (0)

DEI Department

This pillar is composed of two metrics that are indicative of the company’s internal presence of a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) team, as well as whether there is a DEI leader position in the company.

Internal DEI Department: Examines if a company has an internal DEI department or initiatives.
- The company has an internal DEI department. (1)
- The company does not have an internal DEI department. (0)
DEI Leader Title: Examines if a company has an internal DEI leadership role with explicit titles.
- (5) C-suite (title should mention “diversity”, inclusion” or the like)
- (4) VP
- (3) Director / Head
- (2) manager/ leader
- (1) contractor/ consultant
- The company does not have a DEI leader position. (0)

DEI Data

This pillar is composed of eight metrics and examines the presence of, and the quality of a company’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) data.

Workforce Composition: Examines if a company discloses any information on the composition of its workforce.
- The company discloses information relating to the composition of its workforce. (1)
- The company does not disclose information relating to the composition of its workforce. (0)
Pay Equity: Examines if a company published information on pay equity focused on race.
- (2) The company discloses the mean and median pay gap by race/ethnicity.
- (1) The company discloses the mean or median pay gap by race/ ethnicity.
- (0) The company discloses no information relating to racial/ ethnic pay equity.
Promotion Rates: Examines if a company published information regarding promotion rates of employees and their diverse characteristics.
- (7) The company has disclosed promotion rates for all of the following groups: White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American/Native Alaskan, Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian, Two or More Races.
- (6) The company has disclosed promotion rates for six of the following groups: White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American/Native Alaskan, Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian, Two or More Races.
- (5) The company has disclosed promotion rates for five of the following groups: White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American/Native Alaskan, Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian, Two or More Races.
- (4) The company has disclosed promotion rates for four of the following groups: White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American/Native Alaskan, Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian, Two or More Races.
- (3) The company has disclosed promotion rates for three of the following groups: White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American/Native Alaskan,) Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian, Two or More Races.
- (2) The company has disclosed promotion rates for two of the following groups: White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American/Native Alaskan,) Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian, Two or More Races.
- (1) The company has disclosed promotion rates for one of the following groups: White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American/Native Alaskan,) Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian, Two or More Races.
- (0) The company discloses no information relating to promotion rates for any of the following groups: White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American/Native Alaskan,) Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian, Two or More Races.
Recruitment & Hiring Rates: Examines if a company published information regarding recruitment rates of employees and their diverse characteristics.
- (7) The company has disclosed the recruitment or hiring rates for all of the following groups: White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American/Native Alaskan, Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian, Two or More Races.
- (6) The company has disclosed recruitment or hiring rates for six of the following groups: White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American/Native Alaskan, Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian, Two or More Races.
- (5) The company has disclosed the recruitment or hiring rates for five of the following groups: White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American/Native Alaskan, Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian, Two or More Races.
- (4) The company has disclosed the recruitment or hiring rates for four of the following groups: White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American/Native Alaskan, Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian, Two or More Races.
- (3) The company has disclosed the recruitment or hiring rates for three of the following groups: White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American/Native Alaskan, Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian, Two or More Races.
- (2) The company has disclosed the recruitment or hiring rates for two of the following groups: White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American/Native Alaskan, Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian, Two or More Races.
- (1) The company has disclosed the recruitment or hiring rates for one of the following groups: White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American/Native Alaskan, Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian, Two or More Races.
- (0) The company discloses no information relating to the recruitment rates for any of the following groups: White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American/Native Alaskan, Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian, Two or More Races.
Retention & Turnover Rates: Examines if a company published information regarding retention rates of employees and their diverse characteristics.
- (7) The company has disclosed retention or turnover rates for all of the following groups: White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American/Native Alaskan, Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian, Two or More Races.
- (6) The company has disclosed retention or turnover rates for six of the following groups: White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American/Native Alaskan, Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian, Two or More Races.
- (5) The company has disclosed retention or turnover rates for five of the following groups: White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American/Native Alaskan, Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian, Two or More Races.
- (4) The company has disclosed retention or turnover rates for four of the following groups: White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American/Native Alaskan, Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian, Two or More Races.
- (3) The company has disclosed retention or turnover rates for three of the following groups: White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American/Native Alaskan, Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian, Two or More Races.
- (2) The company has disclosed retention or turnover rates for two of the following groups: White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American/Native Alaskan, Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian, Two or More Races.
- (1) The company has disclosed retention or turnover rates for one of the following groups: White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American/Native Alaskan, Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian, Two or More Races.
- (0) The company has disclosed retention or turnover rates for all of the following groups: White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American/Native Alaskan, Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian, Two or More Races.
Explicit Diversity Goals: Examines whether or not a company has explicit diversity and inclusion metrics.
- The company does have explicit goals regarding diversity and inclusion. (1)
- The company does not have explicit goals regarding diversity and inclusion. (0)
EEO-1 Data Released: Examines whether or not a company has disclosed their EEO-1 documents.
- The company has disclosed their EEO-1 form. (1)
- The company has not disclosed their EEO-1 form. (0)
Supply Chain Diversification: Examines if a company promises a racially diverse supply chain.
- The company has solid timetables for improving an already diverse supply chain program and showing quantifiable action to diversify. (5)
- The company already has a diverse supply chain program in place but offers no promise or timetable to increase diversity. (3)
- The company does not mention diversity in their supply chain or a supplier diversity program. (0)

External Actions

This pillar is composed of three metrics outlining cash donations towards racial justice, community engagement and involvement on the issue, as well as advertising on hate-promoting platforms.

Community Engagement on Racial Justice: Examines whether a company engages with communities of color to further racial justice.
- Company actively engages with communities of color to further racial justice. (1)
- Company does not engage with communities of color to further racial justice. (0)
Racial Justice Donations: Examines the donations made by the company to further racial justice. This donation total is looked at in relation to a company’s market capitalization.
- Annual donations comprising 5% or more of the company’s market cap (5)
- Annual donations comprising 4% of the company’s market cap (4)
- Annual donations comprising 3% of the company’s market cap (3)
- Annual donations comprising 2% of the company’s market cap (2)
- Annual donations comprising 1% or less of the company’s market cap (1)
- The company has made no donations (0)
Hate Speech Accountability: Examines if a company is proactively involved in profiting from or furthering the spread of hate speech.

2023 Q3 – Present

no evidence that the company is involved in hate speech (0)
the company is involved in/ supports/ furthers the spread of hate speech (-1)

Through 2023 Q2

The company discontinued advertising on Fox News / NewsMax. (1)
The company has no known advertising on Fox News / NewsMax. (0)
The company has advertising on either Fox News or NewsMax. (-1)
The company has advertising on Fox News and NewsMax. (-2)

Third-Party Racial Equity Audit: Examines if the company has conducted an independent/ third- party Civil Rights or Racial Equity audit
- The company has not conducted a Civil Rights or Racial Equity audit. (0)
- The company has agreed to conduct a Civil Rights or Racial Equity audit or is in the process of conducting an audit. (3)
- The company has completed a Civil Rights or Racial Equity audit and has made the results publicly available (5).

Environmental Justice

This pillar is composed of four different metrics that look at a company’s environmental justice track record. This is done through the examination of environmental violations, fines and general business practices.

Acknowledgement of Environmental Justice: Examines if a company has a statement published addressing and acknowledging the key term “Environmental Justice”.
- The company has a statement addressing and acknowledging “environmental justice”. (1)
- The company has no statement addressing and acknowledging “environmental justice”. (0)
Abides by Environmental Regulations (Since 2015): Examines how many times a company has violated environmental regulations in the US since 2015. Superfund sites add an addition -1 point.
- The company and its subsidiaries have no environmental violations. (0)
- The company and its subsidiaries have between 1 and 25 environmental violations. (-1)
- The company and its subsidiaries have between 26 and 50 environmental violations. (-2)
- The company and its subsidiaries have between 51 and 75 environmental violations. (-3)
- The company and its subsidiaries have between 76 and 100 environmental violations. (- 4)
- The company and its subsidiaries have over 100 environmental violations. (-5)
Environmental Fines and Penalties (Since 2015): Examines the amount of environmentally related fines and penalties, or criminal charges that a company has on record since 2015.
- The company and its subsidiaries does not have any environmental fines, superfund sites, or related criminal charges. (0)
- The company and its subsidiaries has environmental fines totaling up to $1,000,000. (-1)
- The company and its subsidiaries has environmental fines totaling more than

$1,000,000 but less than $5,000,000. (-2)

The company and its subsidiaries has environmental fines totaling more than

$5,000,000 and less than $10,000,000. (-3)

The company and its subsidiaries has environmental fines totaling more than

$10,000,000. (-4)

The company has related criminal charges. (Additional -1)
The company has Superfund sites. (Additional -1)

Adverse Effects to BIPOC Communities (Since 2010): Examines the impact that companies have had on communities of Black and Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC). This metric considers custom practices of the various sectors that make up the Russell 1000. Each sector is assigned

five sector-specific subject areas that are typically associated with this sector’s business outcomes. A company can yield up to five negative points (-5), one for each subject-area. If a company’s business practices can’t be proven to have negative effects on BIPOC communities

, that company receives a zero (0). Only reputable sources that provide measurable data are being used.

Communication Services

Racially Targeted advertising. (-1)
Exclusionary products (e.g., AI, facial recognition, surveillance). (-1)
Supports, profits from, or furthers the spread of hate speech. (-1)
Pay inequity, inequality, or wage disparities. (-1)
Racial discrimination actions (e.g., lawsuits, arbitration, scandals). (-1)

Consumer Discretionary

Racially targeted advertising. (-1)
Racially targeted locations. (-1)
Environmental Justice scandals or lawsuits with BIPOC communities. (-1)
Pay Inequity, inequality, or wage disparities. (-1)
Racial discrimination actions (e.g., lawsuits, arbitration, scandals). (-1)

Consumer Staples

Racially targeted advertising. (-1)
Exclusionary products (-1)
Environmental Justice scandals or lawsuits with BIPOC communities. (-1)
Pay Inequity, inequality, or wage disparities. (-1)
Racial discrimination actions (e.g., lawsuits, arbitration, scandals). (-1)

Energy

Disproportionate climate impacts on BIPOC communities. (-1)
Unequal distribution of basic amenities by race (e.g., access to energy, clean water, electricity, utilities). (-1)
Environmental Justice scandals or lawsuits with BIPOC communities. (-1)
Pay Inequity, inequality, or wage disparities. (-1)
Racial discrimination actions (e.g., lawsuits, arbitration, scandals). (-1)

Financials

Engages in predatory lending practices (e.g., payday lending, subprime mortgages) (-1)
Engages in discriminatory lending practices (e.g., racial lending bias, credit scoring, higher interest rate credit cards, mortgages) (-1)
Unequal access to financial services. (-1)
Pay Inequity, inequality, or wage disparities. (-1)
Racial discrimination actions (e.g., lawsuits, arbitration, scandals). (-1) Health Care
Unequal access to health care by race. (-1)
Fails to support racial diversity in clinical trials and product testing. (-1)
Limited opportunities for professional growth for BIPOC.
Pay Inequity, inequality, or wage disparities. (-1)
Racial discrimination actions (e.g., lawsuits, arbitration, scandals). (-1)

Industrials

Disproportionate climate impacts on BIPOC communities. (-1)
Unequal distribution of basic amenities by race (e.g., access to energy, clean water, electricity, utilities). (-1)
Environmental Justice scandals or lawsuits with BIPOC communities. (-1)
Pay Inequity, inequality, or wage disparities. (-1)
Racial discrimination actions (e.g., lawsuits, arbitration, scandals). (-1)

Information Technology

Unequal access to technology products or services. (-1)
Exclusionary products (e.g., AI, facial recognition, surveillance) (-1)
Supports, profits from, or furthers the spread of hate speech. (-1)
Pay Inequity, inequality, or wage disparities. (-1)
Racial discrimination actions (e.g., lawsuits, arbitration, scandals). (-1)

Materials

Disproportionate climate impacts on BIPOC communities. (-1)
Unequal distribution of basic amenities by race (e.g., access to energy, clean water, electricity, utilities). (-1)
Environmental Justice scandals or lawsuits with BIPOC communities. (-1)
Pay Inequity, inequality, or wage disparities. (-1)
Racial discrimination actions (e.g., lawsuits, arbitration, scandals). (-1)

Real Estate

Engages in redlining practices (e.g., racially bias appraisals). (-1)
Unequal access to real estate services (e.g., brokers, lenders, appraisers)
Discriminatory buying behaviors (e.g., furthering gentrification). (-1)
Pay Inequity, inequality, or wage disparities. (-1)
Racial discrimination actions (e.g., lawsuits, arbitration, scandals). (-1)

Utilities

Disproportionate climate impacts on BIPOC communities. (-1)
Unequal distribution of basic amenities by race (e.g., access to energy, clean water, electricity, utilities). (-1)
Environmental Justice scandals or lawsuits with BIPOC communities. (-1)
Pay Inequity, inequality, or wage disparities. (-1)
Racial discrimination actions (e.g., lawsuits, arbitration, scandals). (-1)