Watch THE RECORDING OF THE moderated discussion of The C-Suite Initiative. 

Hear from consultants, a pilot participant, a historian, and the program's managing director on why The C-Suite Initiative is important, what sets this program apart, and how it helps C-Suite leaders drive change. 

Following the public killing of George Floyd in May 2020 and the more than 100 continuous days of nationwide social unrest, many corporations made commitments to look inward and evaluate their corporate culture, policies, and practices.

In 2021, AutoZone partnered with the National Civil Rights Museum and donated $5 million to create sustainable programming that focuses on combining the historical knowledge of the Museum with the need for strategic and culturally relevant leadership to eradicate racial bias in increasing representation of Black executives to C-suite positions.  Through this partnership with AutoZone, the National Civil Rights Museum has established the Corporate Equity Center.

MADE POSSIBLE BY

The C-Suite Initiative

The C-Suite Initiative will combine the historical knowledge of NCRM with the need for strategic and culturally relevant leadership on eradicating racism in Corporate America with the goal of increasing representation of Black executives in senior leadership and C-suite positions across industries.

The pilot began last November with top executives from First Horizon Corporation. With The C-Suite Initiative, corporate executives engage in a curriculum designed to heighten awareness of racial inequities. The experience starts with the specially curated museum tour that sets the path for the enlightening presentations, deep discussions, and take-aways for designing measurable solutions for Black executives to advance to C-suite and senior executive leadership roles.

“The First Horizon leadership team is honored to be the first executive group to officially participate in National Civil Rights Museum’s Corporate Equity Center’s leadership program,” said Bryan Jordan, President and CEO of First Horizon Corporation. “Through this experience, our team gained additional information and tools that can be used to address inequities within talent management processes and continue to build a diverse team at every level in our organization.”

Unpacking Racism for Action

With the establishment of the Corporate Equity Center, the Museum’s existing Unpacking Racism for Action program is also being offered. Unpacking Racism for Action drills down on the issues of implicit bias, structural and institutional racism. The objectives are to increase awareness and knowledge of the many manifestations of racism; build skills and nurture willingness to confront issues of racism as they arise in personal and professional settings; and co-create a supportive and accountable community for ongoing learning and action.