WEBVTT - Making a Case for Hope Through Racial Healing

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<v Speaker 1>Bloomberg Audio Studios, Podcasts, Radio News. You're listening to Bloomberg

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<v Speaker 1>Business Week with Carol Masser and Tim Steneveek on Bloomberg Radio.

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<v Speaker 2>Well.

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<v Speaker 3>As all of you know, Monday is Martin Luther King

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<v Speaker 3>Junior Day, a federal holiday that celebrates the life and

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<v Speaker 3>legacy of Martin Luther King Junior. Over the next half hour,

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<v Speaker 3>we're going to talk about race relations in America, including

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<v Speaker 3>with the author of How We Heal, a Journey toward truth,

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<v Speaker 3>racial healing, and community transformation from the inside out. It's

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<v Speaker 3>written by the first female and first African American leader

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<v Speaker 3>of the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. That conversation a little

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<v Speaker 3>later on right.

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<v Speaker 4>And just a reminder, of course, Martin Luther King Day

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<v Speaker 4>also happens to fall on January twentieth, which is the

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<v Speaker 4>day that President elect Donald Trump will be inaugurated. This Monday,

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<v Speaker 4>we Tim and I will be doing a special edition

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<v Speaker 4>of Bloomberg Business Week that afternoon looking at the new

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<v Speaker 4>incoming administration and all the policies that may come down.

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<v Speaker 4>So we want to get into that and more with

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<v Speaker 4>our next guest, who has a certain very personal story

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<v Speaker 4>and attachment of course to Martin Luther King Day. We

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<v Speaker 4>were joined by Reverend doctor Bernice King. She's the chief

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<v Speaker 4>executive officer of the Martin Luther King Junior Center for

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<v Speaker 4>Nonviolent Social Change, which is also known as the King Center.

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<v Speaker 4>She is the daughter of Martin Luther King, Junior and

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<v Speaker 4>her mom, Coretta Scott King, founder of the King Center.

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<v Speaker 4>Doctor King, so nice to have you here with us.

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<v Speaker 4>You know, Monday, for many it's a holiday. Well, nice

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<v Speaker 4>to have you here. For many more, it's also a

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<v Speaker 4>reminder of our difficult past around race relations and discrimination.

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<v Speaker 4>What does the day mean to you? Honoring your dad.

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<v Speaker 5>Well, it's an opportunity, obviously for us to not just

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<v Speaker 5>commemorate his life, but to really look further into his teachings.

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<v Speaker 5>He was not just a civil rights leader, he was

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<v Speaker 5>a teacher. He left us a blueprint as to how

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<v Speaker 5>to create a just, humane, equitable and peaceful world. And

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<v Speaker 5>every year, one of the things that I encourage is

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<v Speaker 5>that we study him more because he spoke about things

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<v Speaker 5>that we as a nation and world needed to do

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<v Speaker 5>to fight against what he saw as a triple equals

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<v Speaker 5>of poverty, racism, and militarism as a threat to our humanity.

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<v Speaker 6>And so here we are once again this year, and.

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<v Speaker 5>As we inaugurate a new president, those teachings don't change,

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<v Speaker 5>they stay the same. What we have to do is

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<v Speaker 5>to connect to them and to connect to the spirit

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<v Speaker 5>of that movement so we can continue to move our

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<v Speaker 5>nation and world forward.

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<v Speaker 4>I was going to ask you just to follow up.

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<v Speaker 4>You said, you know your dad leaving us a blueprint.

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<v Speaker 4>How would you think he's doing how we are doing

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<v Speaker 4>today with that blueprint?

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<v Speaker 6>Well, you know, he said to us, and where do

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<v Speaker 6>we go from here?

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<v Speaker 5>A community in nineteen sixty seven the book that published

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<v Speaker 5>then that we must find a way to live together

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<v Speaker 5>as brothers, and he meant humanity, as brothers and sisters,

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<v Speaker 5>or together we would be forced to perish as foods.

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<v Speaker 6>And I think we've not found a way to do that.

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<v Speaker 5>I think he further divided around different ideologies instead of

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<v Speaker 5>trying to spend time learning in spite of our differences,

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<v Speaker 5>how do we live together? How do we create a

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<v Speaker 5>coexistence where we don't co annihilate one another?

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<v Speaker 6>You know?

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<v Speaker 5>How do we create a world where everyone has decent

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<v Speaker 5>and affordable housing and access to healthcare? You know, how

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<v Speaker 5>do we ensure that people who may end up in

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<v Speaker 5>the homeless population. How do we ensure that that is

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<v Speaker 5>short lived and we create a pathway to people to

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<v Speaker 5>reclaim their lives. How do we create a fair distribution

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<v Speaker 5>of wealth in this nation? He talked about having a

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<v Speaker 5>radical redistribution of wealth. He didn't talk about it in

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<v Speaker 5>the sense that we just have to remove wealth from

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<v Speaker 5>someone else, but we have to figure out how do

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<v Speaker 5>we balance our economy so that people can have enough

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<v Speaker 5>to do well. And then, of course he talked about

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<v Speaker 5>how do we respect who we are from the different

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<v Speaker 5>cultures and different backgrounds. We'll never all agree on everything,

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<v Speaker 5>and we'll never all like each other, we'll never all

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<v Speaker 5>think alike, but we certainly can spend time learning how

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<v Speaker 5>to live together. So that takes a lot of listening, curiosity,

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<v Speaker 5>It takes a lot of courage, It takes a lot

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<v Speaker 5>of humility, It takes compassion. These are all the things

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<v Speaker 5>that he taught us through the spirit and the heart

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<v Speaker 5>of nonviolence that he led that movement in.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, it's that last point that I want to talk about,

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<v Speaker 3>doctor King, because we've been talking about over the last

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<v Speaker 3>few months the dismantling of DEI programs at many companies.

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<v Speaker 3>If I just look at the stories that are One

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<v Speaker 3>of our reporters, Jeff Green has written in recent months.

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<v Speaker 3>Here's some headlines. Walmart under fire from investors for cutting

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<v Speaker 3>DEI programs, Meta retreats from diversity and inclusion, appeasing Trump.

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<v Speaker 3>Amazon is halting some of its diversity and inclusion programs.

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<v Speaker 3>McDonald's walks back DEI goals in latest corporate retreat. Other

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<v Speaker 3>companies including Deer and more.

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<v Speaker 4>And we talked about Corporate America, you know, did hire

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<v Speaker 4>more black workers for a while and then it stopped.

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<v Speaker 3>How do you like, how do you in an environment

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<v Speaker 3>such as this where see things seem to not necessarily

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<v Speaker 3>be going in that direction. How do you have optimism?

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<v Speaker 5>Well, always have optimism because there are always people, you know,

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<v Speaker 5>like Target and Costco and others, who who choose to

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<v Speaker 5>follow the pathway that we all know is for the

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<v Speaker 5>best of our nation and our world. Look, if we

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<v Speaker 5>don't have an inclusive economy as a nation, then we're

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<v Speaker 5>not going to survive in the global economy. And so

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<v Speaker 5>I think there's gonna be some hard realities we're going

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<v Speaker 5>to be faced with in a few years.

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<v Speaker 6>If what those.

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<v Speaker 5>Who have sought to remove DEI have done you know

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<v Speaker 5>it's gonna show certain results.

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<v Speaker 6>I think it's up to certain.

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<v Speaker 5>Courageous leaders to combine forces and stand against this.

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<v Speaker 2>Uh.

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<v Speaker 5>It really, at the end of the day, is really

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<v Speaker 5>not about the language anyway. You know, It's about who

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<v Speaker 5>we are as a people. Do we have a love

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<v Speaker 5>centered way of leading our cultures? In corporate America? You know,

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<v Speaker 5>in our educational institutions, when we look a lot around

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<v Speaker 5>at our different cultures, do we have everyone that's needed

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<v Speaker 5>in terms of represent at the table. You know, whether

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<v Speaker 5>you call it DEI, you call it representation, or you

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<v Speaker 5>call it a belonging culture or for us, the beloved community.

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<v Speaker 5>How do we create beloved community cultures? Because at the

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<v Speaker 5>end of the day, it's about the outcomes. So if

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<v Speaker 5>they remove the names, they remove what they call DEEI,

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<v Speaker 5>but then they are still committed to getting to certain outcomes,

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<v Speaker 5>then maybe there's no problem. But if removing it also

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<v Speaker 5>means that we're not going to ensure that we have

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<v Speaker 5>cultures that reflect who we are as a nation and

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<v Speaker 5>even as a world, then it just means those of

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<v Speaker 5>us who practice non violence are going to have to

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<v Speaker 5>organize and stratig our chives and come up with plans

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<v Speaker 5>to put pressure where is needed.

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<v Speaker 4>Doctor King, what do you think white Americans still don't

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<v Speaker 4>understand about Black America today and what do you believe

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<v Speaker 4>it will take to achieve true racial equality.

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<v Speaker 5>Well, the first thing is Black America is not trying

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<v Speaker 5>to take anything from anybody.

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<v Speaker 6>I think that's the first thing people need to understand.

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<v Speaker 5>There's this threat, like you know, if Black America were

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<v Speaker 5>in charge, they will remove us and nothing to be

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<v Speaker 5>further from the truth. If you study the history of

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<v Speaker 5>our race, we've always been holistically. It doesn't mean there

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<v Speaker 5>are exceptions in every racial grouping, but if you study

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<v Speaker 5>as a whole, we're very forgiving people. We are very

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<v Speaker 5>inclusive culture. We tend to stand, you know, with what

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<v Speaker 5>is right and what is fair and what is just.

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<v Speaker 5>And I think there's a misnomer that if we are

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<v Speaker 5>in these roles we may do what others do. I

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<v Speaker 5>think there's a misnomer as to who we are that

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<v Speaker 5>you know, we just get jobs or we get opportunities

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<v Speaker 5>just because we're black.

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<v Speaker 6>No, we're very qualified.

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<v Speaker 5>If you spend any time on social media, you see

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<v Speaker 5>the number of young children out of the black community

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<v Speaker 5>who are finishing college and getting PhD degrees when they're

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<v Speaker 5>not even fifteen yet.

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<v Speaker 6>They're not even fourteen yet.

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<v Speaker 5>So we have a very intelligent, a very skilled community.

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<v Speaker 5>And it doesn't take any thing away from anybody else's

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<v Speaker 5>community who has intelligent and skilled individuals. And so we

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<v Speaker 5>the biggest thing, Daddy says, I'm very powerful. He said,

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<v Speaker 5>people hate each other because they don't know each other.

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<v Speaker 6>They don't know each other because they don't communicate with

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<v Speaker 6>each other.

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<v Speaker 5>They don't communicate with each other because they're separated from

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<v Speaker 5>each other. And so as long as we keep division

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<v Speaker 5>and separation, then the myths can continue to be the truth.

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<v Speaker 5>So we have to find a way, as I said,

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<v Speaker 5>to learn to live together and cross some of these

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<v Speaker 5>boundaries and not allow whatever every other commentary may say about,

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<v Speaker 5>you know, any community to rule the day.

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<v Speaker 6>I need to come and connect with you. I need

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<v Speaker 6>to learn more about you. I need to spend time

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<v Speaker 6>with you. I need to experience your culture.

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<v Speaker 5>It doesn't mean I may embrace all of it, but

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<v Speaker 5>I have a greater understanding of it. And I think

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<v Speaker 5>that's what a love centered person, a compassionate person, a

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<v Speaker 5>curious person. Right, we're doing a person more importantly who

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<v Speaker 5>wants to see a better world.

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<v Speaker 4>Well, you know, we think about We've only got about

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<v Speaker 4>a couple minutes left here, but we are thinking about

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<v Speaker 4>Martin Luther King day on Inauguration Day, incoming President Donald Trump,

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<v Speaker 4>and what his administration might bring in terms of policies

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<v Speaker 4>and what it means for Black Americans in equality in

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<v Speaker 4>the United States. You know, we kind of get the

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<v Speaker 4>sense that your dad, you know, tried to engage power

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<v Speaker 4>to influence change. She seemed very pragmatic and yet took

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<v Speaker 4>those risks. Do you think your father would try to

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<v Speaker 4>engage with the right, the conservative right, to get them

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<v Speaker 4>to better understand the implications of their positions or is

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<v Speaker 4>that not even possible? And again, only about a minute

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<v Speaker 4>and a half here.

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<v Speaker 6>Oh, it's always possible. Non violence believes in the impossibility.

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<v Speaker 5>Non violence actually can help overcome what seems to be impossible.

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<v Speaker 6>So through strategy and plan.

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<v Speaker 5>When he went to see Johnson, and Johnson said, look,

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<v Speaker 5>I've done as much as I come the civil rights

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<v Speaker 5>right now, I can't get the votes on voting rights.

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<v Speaker 5>Daddy went back and said, well, we're gonna have to

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<v Speaker 5>get him some power. We're going to have to help

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<v Speaker 5>him figure that out. So in this administration, we got

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<v Speaker 5>to figure out what are the connection points. You know,

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<v Speaker 5>who are the people in the administration we might be

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<v Speaker 5>able to have access to who may understand that can

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<v Speaker 5>then translate the message.

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<v Speaker 6>It's about strategy, and nonviolence helps you with that.

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<v Speaker 4>Do you have faith in the Trump administration helping out?

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<v Speaker 6>I have the Black community.

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<v Speaker 5>I have faith in God, and I believe in the

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<v Speaker 5>power of a collective conscience that is committed to freedom,

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<v Speaker 5>justice and quality.

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<v Speaker 6>And I believe it is possible.

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<v Speaker 5>That's why our theme is, you know, mission Possible, protecting freedom,

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<v Speaker 5>justice and equality. Excuse freedom, justice and democracy through the

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<v Speaker 5>spirit of non violence three sixty five, which is kingy

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<v Speaker 5>and non violence is taught and demonstrated by my father.

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<v Speaker 6>That's what I have faith.

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<v Speaker 4>In, doctor King. Just twenty five seconds left here. What

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<v Speaker 4>do you hope every American kind of thinks about when

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<v Speaker 4>it comes to our country here?

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<v Speaker 5>I want them to remember that as a humanity, we

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<v Speaker 5>have been to these places before. Maybe not literally us,

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<v Speaker 5>but human beings have been in difficult, challenging times. We

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<v Speaker 5>come from those individuals, and we too have the capacity

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<v Speaker 5>to rise to the occasion and meet the challenges and

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<v Speaker 5>move our nation and worw forth.

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<v Speaker 4>Thank you so much for finding time for us, our

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<v Speaker 4>thoughts with you, certainly as we prepare for the holiday

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<v Speaker 4>and to mark his memory and his legacy on Monday.

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<v Speaker 4>That is Reverend doctor Bernice King, chief Executive Officer of

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<v Speaker 4>the King Center, joining us from Atlanta on this Wednesday.

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<v Speaker 7>This is Bloomberg.

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<v Speaker 3>As we mentioned earlier, we're spending a good portion of

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<v Speaker 3>the final hour of our show focused on race relations

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<v Speaker 3>in race in America ahead of the Martin Luther King

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<v Speaker 3>Junior Holiday on Monday. We just spoke to Reverend doctor

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<v Speaker 3>Bernice King, the CEO of the Martin Luther King Junior

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<v Speaker 3>Center for Non Violent Social Change, also known as the

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<v Speaker 3>King Center.

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<v Speaker 7>Right and Lea.

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<v Speaker 4>June Montgomery Tabron is the first female and first African

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<v Speaker 4>American leader of the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. It's one

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<v Speaker 4>of the largest philanthropic institutions in the United States. Also

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<v Speaker 4>the author of a new book, How We Heal, a

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<v Speaker 4>Journey toward Truth, racial healing and community transformation from the

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<v Speaker 4>inside out. And we really want to start at the

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<v Speaker 4>beginning of the book. June, welcome, welcome, Nice to have

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<v Speaker 4>you here with Tim and myself. You know, it's so

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<v Speaker 4>wild to be coming off of a conversation with doctor

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<v Speaker 4>Bernice King and then to see how you start your book.

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<v Speaker 4>Take us back the Sunday in late June of nineteen

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<v Speaker 4>sixty three. You were eight months old.

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<v Speaker 2>Absolutely, and it's reflecting on the speech that doctor King gave,

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<v Speaker 2>the speech that actually was the preface to his I

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<v Speaker 2>had a dream speech, and I reflect on how important

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<v Speaker 2>that that speech was actually first given in Detroit, where

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<v Speaker 2>I was born, and was the beginning of my own

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<v Speaker 2>healing journey in America, which is the story, very part

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<v Speaker 2>of the story of the book that we have launched.

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<v Speaker 3>So well, a lot happened between then and you becoming

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<v Speaker 3>the ninth President and CEO of the W. K. Kellogg Foundation.

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<v Speaker 3>It is one of the largest philanthropic institutions in the US.

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<v Speaker 3>How do you draw that line though, and you do

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<v Speaker 3>it in the book. How do you draw that line

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<v Speaker 3>from that moment when you were an infant to this

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<v Speaker 3>point in your career.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, And it's a journey that I've been on, a

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<v Speaker 2>personal healing journey. It's the journey our nation has been on,

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<v Speaker 2>and it's the journey that I have.

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<v Speaker 7>Led at the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. We've seen.

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<v Speaker 2>Results coming out of the civil rights movement and the

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<v Speaker 2>leadership of doctor Martin Luther King, We've continued to grapple

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<v Speaker 2>with the issue of race in America. Our work at

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<v Speaker 2>the W. K. Kellogg Foundation has been about how to

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<v Speaker 2>address racism head on and to begin to dismantle those

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<v Speaker 2>systems that disadvantaged children. Our work is about improving the

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<v Speaker 2>lives of all children in America. And I am one

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<v Speaker 2>of those children. And the story in the book is

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<v Speaker 2>about how my journey encountered racism, but how it strengthened me,

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<v Speaker 2>and how I learned to heal from those encounters, and

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<v Speaker 2>how I then carried that into my work at the W. K.

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<v Speaker 7>Kelloc Foundation, and how we know it is the work

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<v Speaker 7>for the future of this nation.

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<v Speaker 2>If we are going to connect people across our differences.

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<v Speaker 4>Well, Jude, how can we though see more of your stories?

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<v Speaker 4>And I think it's I think it's fair to say,

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<v Speaker 4>you know, the Bloomberg News team talked about how corporate

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<v Speaker 4>America was hiring more black workers coming off of George Floyd,

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<v Speaker 4>coming off of the pandemic, and then it stopped, and

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<v Speaker 4>how do we ensure that the trend continues in terms

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<v Speaker 4>of your own story of where you started and where

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<v Speaker 4>you are today, that even though you face challenges, had

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<v Speaker 4>to deal with obstacles and faced racism, how do we

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<v Speaker 4>first of all get rid of it in the country,

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<v Speaker 4>but help others to be able to face it and

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<v Speaker 4>achieve so much.

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<v Speaker 2>More sure, And we work with Corporate America and a

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<v Speaker 2>work in a body of work that we have called

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<v Speaker 2>Expanding Equity. And what I know from that work is

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<v Speaker 2>that companies are not retreating in this space. They understand

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<v Speaker 2>and the business case of diversity. They know that their

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<v Speaker 2>companies are better off with diverse talent and perspectives. And

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<v Speaker 2>what I've learned working with these companies is that they

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<v Speaker 2>see how they are higher performers as a result of

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<v Speaker 2>their diversity, and they're continuing to make sure that they

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<v Speaker 2>have that It is a business imperative for them. So

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<v Speaker 2>that is the work of our nation is to make

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<v Speaker 2>sure that everyone is engaged in our economy. And the

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<v Speaker 2>numbers show that we conducted a study that indicates we

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<v Speaker 2>could unleash an additional eight trillion dollars in economic growth

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<v Speaker 2>in GDP by twenty fifty if we were just to

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<v Speaker 2>make sure that all of our human capital was properly,

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<v Speaker 2>properly utiliz are you since.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, you know, I just want to jump in because

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<v Speaker 3>we only have a couple of minutes left, and I

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<v Speaker 3>want to make sure I get your thoughts on this

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<v Speaker 3>because it's in the news day in, day out. But

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<v Speaker 3>Walmart cut its de I programs, McDonald's walk back DEI,

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<v Speaker 3>you have Meta retreating from DEI. Amazon halting some of

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<v Speaker 3>its DEI programs. These are just headlines from the last

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<v Speaker 3>couple of weeks. Our companies. How do you feel about them?

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<v Speaker 3>How do you think can we still does it set

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<v Speaker 3>us back? Do we still tap into that human capital

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<v Speaker 3>if we're if we're not conscious of this stuff.

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<v Speaker 7>I think it's a headline.

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<v Speaker 2>I think we have to really understand what that means.

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<v Speaker 2>In many cases, what every company knows is that they

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<v Speaker 2>have to compete for talent. They have to continue continue

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<v Speaker 2>to build and grow talent. And you're not going to

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<v Speaker 2>do that if you're not fully accessing our human capital.

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<v Speaker 7>So the naming may change.

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<v Speaker 2>The understanding that this is a business imperative and we

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<v Speaker 2>almost have the best talent is not going away.

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<v Speaker 4>So even though we see these headlines, you think Corporate

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<v Speaker 4>America are certainly the big companies, the publicly held companies

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<v Speaker 4>where we're seeing these headlines. You say that they still

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<v Speaker 4>you believe that they're still committed to DEI efforts. Absolutely, yes,

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<v Speaker 4>all right, that's go ahead to him.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, it was just with thirty seconds left. Then why

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<v Speaker 3>be so public about moving away from them?

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<v Speaker 2>I think in this world today that the need for

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<v Speaker 2>healing is imperative, and that's why we wrote the book

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<v Speaker 2>and issued it in this moment. The narrative in this

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<v Speaker 2>nation is divisive and it's forcing people to choose positions.

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<v Speaker 2>Healing is about connections. Healing is about bringing people together

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<v Speaker 2>across their differences, and that is the work of the

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<v Speaker 2>nation for the future, and that is what we know

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<v Speaker 2>people want to do.

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<v Speaker 4>Well that I like ending on that optimistic note, June,

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<v Speaker 4>thank you so much. Lea June Montgomery Tabron, President and

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<v Speaker 4>CEO of the Kellogg Foundation. The new book How We

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<v Speaker 4>Heal This is Bloomberg