Speaker 1: You're listening to Bloomberg Business Week with Carol Messer and
Speaker 1: Bloomberg Quick Takes Tim Stinovic on Bloomberg Radio one year ago,
Speaker 1: and it's hard for me to even get my head
Speaker 1: around it. It's one year ago that we, you know,
Speaker 1: came to know that George Floyd lost his life, um
Speaker 1: and at the killing of a white Minneapolis policeman. You
Speaker 1: have had lots of conversations here at Bloomberg with companies executives.
Speaker 1: Tell us a little bit about kind of some of
Speaker 1: the conversations we're having today one year later. Oh, thanks
Speaker 1: for having me, Carol. Well, it's all about action now.
Speaker 1: Last year, you know, there was a lot of talk,
Speaker 1: a lot of pledges, a lot of commitments, and that's
Speaker 1: a good thing. But I think as we've seen work
Speaker 1: from home advanced by leaps and bounds, people want to
Speaker 1: see equity and equality advanced by leaps and bounds. And
Speaker 1: I think people are done with the incremental, you know progress,
Speaker 1: lacial pace of progress. And you know, I'll give it
Speaker 1: to our gen z, the Zoomers, they're over it. They
Speaker 1: want it yesterday, right tomorrow exactly. And it's safe to
Speaker 1: say after, you know, when after George Floyd. Like we
Speaker 1: just talked about, We've had so many conversations. Let's see
Speaker 1: the action. Um, Let's bring in our guests, because we
Speaker 1: have a great guest for us. Uh. He is National
Speaker 1: Urban League President and CEO, Mark Morrel. He joins us
Speaker 1: on the phone in New York City, joining myself and
Speaker 1: our deputy bureauchief, Chartier Brantley here in studio with me.
Speaker 1: You know, Mark, nine minutes, seven seconds, that's how long
Speaker 1: it took for George Floyd to lose his life one
Speaker 1: year ago. That revelation of that loss of life was
Speaker 1: seen by the world. So many of us stuck at
Speaker 1: home at the time because of the pandemic pandemic. It
Speaker 1: ignited rage. It's at a protest and a lot of
Speaker 1: soul searching not seen in a long, long time. The
Speaker 1: problem is not new. Where are we today? What have
Speaker 1: we learned? And how much more do we have to go?
Speaker 1: In your view? Well, thank you for having me, and
Speaker 1: I think we should keep in mind that the courage
Speaker 1: of Darnella Frasier, a teenage girl who had the presence
Speaker 1: of mind to pull out her iPhone and tape what
Speaker 1: was happening to George Floyd is the reason we are
Speaker 1: here today. UH. If but for what she did, this
Speaker 1: would have been subject to what so many of these
Speaker 1: police UH incidents UH involved, and that is UH fictitious stories, misrepresentations,
Speaker 1: and lying about what has happened. We see it in
Speaker 1: the Ronald Green case in Louisiana, where the officers said
Speaker 1: that Ronald Green died from a quote automobile accident, Yet
Speaker 1: when the tape comes out, it's clear that they beat
Speaker 1: him to death for no reason. So I want everyone
Speaker 1: to remember that it was the WAYO of the presence
Speaker 1: of mind, and that we need people and citizens to
Speaker 1: have the presence of mind to capture incidents of injustice,
Speaker 1: whether it's police brutality or other types of injustice, by
Speaker 1: being citizens citizen watch dog watchdogs. Having said that, I
Speaker 1: think that the George Floyd moment is a moment that
Speaker 1: accelerated this new movement for social justice, for black lives, mattering,
Speaker 1: for civil rights and economic opportunity in this country in
Speaker 1: a very special way. We're at the beginning of the
Speaker 1: beginning of of of a movement. And it is my
Speaker 1: my hope and it's my prayer that this moment of
Speaker 1: injustice has spurred a movement that will last until the
Speaker 1: work of the movement is done. Because of the way
Speaker 1: in which this movement affected people, I've done radio interviews
Speaker 1: today with radio reporters all over the world and newspaper
Speaker 1: reporters all over the world. The George Floyd incident captured
Speaker 1: the imagination because of the outrage of people not only
Speaker 1: here in the United States from all walks of life
Speaker 1: and backgrounds, but also from people all over the world.
Speaker 1: Having said that the test is going to be whether
Speaker 1: commitments and whether this movement, this protest movement, is going
Speaker 1: to turn into meaningful action. One thing that is so
Speaker 1: critical is the passage of the George Ford Justice and
Speaker 1: Policing Act, which right now is a subject subject of
Speaker 1: sensitive negotiations. But those negotiations are simply because there's were
Speaker 1: councilors in the United States Senate by some to pass
Speaker 1: a meaningful, substantial police reimagination and reform bill, which is
Speaker 1: what the George Floyd Bill is. So we are at
Speaker 1: the beginning of a movement. I believe that young people
Speaker 1: have energized, but that all people are participating in UH
Speaker 1: and and we have to sustain this movement. Mark, are
Speaker 1: you confident the George Floyd Justice and Policing Act will
Speaker 1: be passed by Congress. I'm I'm going to remain optimistic,
Speaker 1: but I'm realistic. I understand the nature of the opposition.
Speaker 1: And then what is the nature of the opposition. You
Speaker 1: have certain elements on the Republican side, certain elements who
Speaker 1: do not want to look at the bill on its merit,
Speaker 1: who simply want to see it as just another battle
Speaker 1: in the partisan wars that were involved in would suggest, well,
Speaker 1: we can't give Joe Biden and the Democrats of victory.
Speaker 1: Notwithstanding the fact that the George Floyd Bill and it's
Speaker 1: enumerated provisions, whether it's banning show calls, whether it's giving
Speaker 1: people access to the courts in a meaningful way by
Speaker 1: dialing back qualified immunity, whether it's creating a stronger if
Speaker 1: you will excess, if you supporce criminal statute, and and
Speaker 1: I could continue to talk about provisions. Those provisions are
Speaker 1: supported by the American people. Poll after poll demonstrates that.
Speaker 1: And notwithstanding that this bill now passed by the Congress
Speaker 1: of the United States, the House of Representatives twice, this bill,
Speaker 1: now with the full support of the President and the
Speaker 1: Vice President, is still subject to difficult negotiations because of
Speaker 1: this antiquated old school rule called the Senate filibuster. Speaking
Speaker 1: of the corporate community, mark, are you disappointed in them
Speaker 1: for not taking a firmer stance? There's a lot of
Speaker 1: I feel like doctrines put out a lot of words said.
Speaker 1: But do you feel like the corporate community has really
Speaker 1: stood up uh and really come out like they should have?
Speaker 1: UM after George Floyd. So the corporate community is not
Speaker 1: a monolith. It's not a unified group. UH. There are
Speaker 1: many who UH spoke out forcefully, who have made meaningful
Speaker 1: and substantial commitments. There are some which put out perfunctory statements,
Speaker 1: and there's some that have done nothing. I believe that
Speaker 1: those that have, and I would point to, uh the
Speaker 1: actions of the Business Roundtable as being you know, fairly
Speaker 1: significant to the extent that these commitments are lived up
Speaker 1: to and follow through on. It's gonna take three to
Speaker 1: five years to make those kinds of determinations. But let's
Speaker 1: look at the corporate community and not look at it
Speaker 1: as a MONOLITHT because I don't think it is a monolist.
Speaker 1: And I think there's a great deal of conviction and
Speaker 1: sincerity among many but the question is always whether it's
Speaker 1: a moment of response, whether it's a complete shift. I
Speaker 1: can tell you that many of the discussions I've had
Speaker 1: even in this week have been about how to increase
Speaker 1: pipelines and talent coming in from the black community, how
Speaker 1: to create a corporate atmosphere which is fairer and more
Speaker 1: equitable and free of racism. Those discussions, and I sense
Speaker 1: in many of those discussions a degree of sincerity, a
Speaker 1: degree of commitment. But the pressure, the movement in the community, uh,
Speaker 1: the conversation that has taken place, the attention of people
Speaker 1: like you and the media has to continue. Don't let
Speaker 1: this die, don't let this go away. Well, Mark, you mentioned,
Speaker 1: you know, taking three to five years for a lot
Speaker 1: of these long term strategies to be implemented, but now
Speaker 1: is the time. So how do we balance this sense
Speaker 1: of urgency for change today with long term strategies and
Speaker 1: implementation of plans and secession planning and pipeline planning. How
Speaker 1: do we balance that? And Mark just got about thirty
Speaker 1: forty seconds and then we'll come back and talk somewhere.
Speaker 1: So I think importantly passed the George Floyd Justice and
Speaker 1: Policing Act I'd like to see some business leaders step
Speaker 1: up and publicly say this is what we need at
Speaker 1: this point in time to truly meet this moment. Number two,
Speaker 1: step up and push back against this this scourge of
Speaker 1: voter suppression and anti democracy bills that are being introduced
Speaker 1: in past in some states. There are specific things that
Speaker 1: are not partisan, but go to the issues of democracy,
Speaker 1: go to the issues of social justice, where I think
Speaker 1: business leaders, by putting their thumb on the scale, can
Speaker 1: make a significant difference. One thing we wanted to ask you, Mark,
Speaker 1: do we in some odd way, I need to say
Speaker 1: thank you to President Donald Trump for moving or advancing
Speaker 1: the conversation around racism. Uh Donald Trump owes is oh, no,
Speaker 1: thank you. Donald Trump was a counter force, a negative force,
Speaker 1: whether it comes to the issue of racial relations and
Speaker 1: racial conversations and understanding, because in every instance when he
Speaker 1: had an opportunity to bring people together, he divided people.
Speaker 1: And that type of leadership in the presidency is not
Speaker 1: what we've historically had, whether it was a Kennedy or
Speaker 1: a Johnson or even a George W. Bush who helped
Speaker 1: UH to get us to help to pass an extension
Speaker 1: of the Voting Rights Act, but I'm being a little
Speaker 1: provocative here. I'm going to jump in for a second
Speaker 1: because I'm being a little provocative here. But but you know,
Speaker 1: Chartie and I have been talking, and I know I've
Speaker 1: had conversations with others that there are more people talking
Speaker 1: about the inequities in our society than I've ever seen before.
Speaker 1: And I think to some extent was whether it was
Speaker 1: some saw the president as a polarizing, you know figure,
Speaker 1: and so I just it just feels like it was
Speaker 1: a different tone, different conversation than I've certainly seen in
Speaker 1: my lifetime. Yes, I mean to hear, but you don't.
Speaker 1: But you don't let me say that you don't thank
Speaker 1: someone for dividing the nation, all right, fair enough knowledge
Speaker 1: acknowledge that his leadership, it that is leadership exposed UH
Speaker 1: and animated racial division in this country. But whether it
Speaker 1: was Charlottesville, which which indeed took place, UH, or the
Speaker 1: condemnation of African American athletes who chose to exercise their
Speaker 1: First Amendment rights, or the condemnation of John Lewis and
Speaker 1: the mocking of him, revered civil rights leader, Donald Trump
Speaker 1: was outside, far outside of the mainstream in the conduct
Speaker 1: of President of the United States. What is clear though,
Speaker 1: and this is what's clear about the George Barton moment.
Speaker 1: This movement began with Trayvon Martin way back in two
Speaker 1: thousand and twelve. UH, and the the accumulated, the accult
Speaker 1: accumulative impact of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown into maor
Speaker 1: rights in Sandra Bland UH and Eric Garner. This this
Speaker 1: this long long list of black people killed by the police,
Speaker 1: and in none of the cases with I believe one
Speaker 1: exception that it may have been the Walter Scott case,
Speaker 1: was their conviction or officers held accountable. See, it's important
Speaker 1: for people to understand it's the act, but it's a
Speaker 1: lack of accountability that creates the outrage that the system
Speaker 1: which is designed to hold people accountable when they take
Speaker 1: a life, and they take a life in an unjustified fashion,
Speaker 1: has not worked when it comes to police officers. That
Speaker 1: creates the outrage that creates they the sense that in
Speaker 1: this great nation, UH, this criminal justice system doesn't work fairly.
Speaker 1: It works sometimes, it works for some UH, and many
Speaker 1: argue that it does exactly what it's designed to do.
Speaker 1: So Look, there's no question that the four years of
Speaker 1: Donald Trump has elevated the conversation around race in a nation.
Speaker 1: But it was Donald Trump's reaction two things that occurred,
Speaker 1: incidents that happened, actions that people took that divided the nation. Uh,
Speaker 1: and I believe that it is the responsibility of the
Speaker 1: president presidency to uh to have a pathway to try
Speaker 1: to bring people together around racial justice and racial reconciliation,
Speaker 1: which is not as many people want to see it.
Speaker 1: It's just a partisan issue. That's the point. These issues
Speaker 1: are issues that go to American values, They go to
Speaker 1: what this country's about, They go to the Constitution, and
Speaker 1: whether some people see them through a part of the lens,
Speaker 1: that is a fundamental problem. So, Mark, how do we
Speaker 1: bring people together? You released the Gumbo Coalition on May
Speaker 1: So the nation still feels so divided one year post
Speaker 1: George Floyd's killing. How do we bring everyone together? And Mark,
Speaker 1: forgive me, just got about yeah, just really look, if
Speaker 1: it starts with dialogue, and it starts with an understanding,
Speaker 1: and it starts with the truth, you've got to be
Speaker 1: able to have a foundation of this is the truth. Now.
Speaker 1: We can have different interpretations, you have different opinions about
Speaker 1: how to move forward, but uh, you know, Bringing people
Speaker 1: together requires two things, a commitment to the truth and
Speaker 1: also a fundamental consensus about the goal. Then the debate
Speaker 1: is about how to get there and where, and that's consensus.
Speaker 1: If you don't have an agreement on the fundamental truths,
Speaker 1: and you don't have a consensus of direction, it's very
Speaker 1: difficult to bring people together. Mark, I know we will
Speaker 1: continue this conversation. Mark Morial, PRESIDENCYEO at the National Urban League,
Speaker 1: Thank you so much. And Shortiller Brantley, our New York
Speaker 1: Deputy bureau chief of Bloomberg News, also with US