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Fortune Magazine recently released its annual Fortune 500 list, and the outlet was quick to brag that it had a “record number” of Black CEOs on its coveted list. And they even invoked George Floyd’s name to brag about the accomplishment. “In the wake of racial protests following the murder of George Floyd, companies pledged to increase diversity within their executive ranks and accelerate change internally,” reports the outlet. “This year, six Black chief executives sit atop Fortune 500 companies, making up just over 1% of businesses on the 2022 ranking. That’s a noteworthy increase from last year when only five Black CEOs ran Fortune 500 companies.” *Cringe* The Fortune 500 list shows that there’s a world of difference between equality and equity. In other words, while everyone has the same opportunities (at least in theory), they’re not always going to be granted the same results, even if all things are assumed to be otherwise equal (and we all know they’re not). Six Black CEOs on...
While Black CEOs are becoming more commonplace as years go on, they’re still a relatively rare phenomenon in the grand scheme of things. According to Fortune, less than one percent of all companies throughout the country have a Black leader at the helm. In the entire history of the Fortune 500 list, there have only been 18 CEOs in total who have identified as Black — and the peak number on the Fortune 500 list was in 2012 when six Black men made the list. The numbers get even bleaker when the gender factor is weighed in. Until 2016, only one Black woman helmed a Fortune 500 company — and history was made when two Black women became CEOs of major national corporations. And these numbers are despite the fact that Black people make up about 13 percent of the American population. The good news is, things are starting to look up (albeit ever so slowly). In June 2021, it was announced that not one, but two , Black women became CEOs of Fortune 500 companies (Roz Brewer of Walgreens Boots...