As a privileged son of the South, born and raised in the suburbs of Birmingham during the height of the civil rights era, I was emotionally, spiritually and intellectually clueless of the inequality surrounding the way of life I knew and loved. It was not until the family fortune was spent and I was told I would have to carve my own path in life that my eyes were opened. I no longer had the privileges held by my forefathers, the benefits of particular country clubs, legacy universities and cloistered communities. I suddenly found myself living in South Alabama and working the 11pm to 7am shift at a hotel.

It was here that my eyes were opened, and my heart was changed, and I started looking for a spiritual solution that led me to the Bahá’í Faith that was taught at an ‘Experimental College’ at the University of South Alabama. Why the Bahá’í Faith?  Because the basic tenets are the unity of Man, God and Religion. Unity and equality of gender, race, science and religion in the 60’s and 70’s was a radical view.

During this period, I observed others dealing daily with real inequality. I saw true poverty and realized how small the window to success was and how the “establishment”, as we called it at the time, seemed to completely box out so many from any real opportunities. Since that time, I have built a life and business that is due in no small part to privileges available to men of my skin color and pedigree.

From this understanding of privilege, my wife Kim and I vowed to establish a set of values that would govern our organization; values that would be based upon mutual respect and the equality of all people. Thirty years ago, we hired a black Culture Coach and created standards around diversity and inclusion for Innisfree employees. We wanted to create a work environment where team members felt a sense of belonging; a place where individual voices mattered. We were committed to equipping team members with the tools needed to build an inclusive work environment that embraced differences.  In 2017, we expanded this practice with the addition of a Director of Culture.

Privileged white men’s voices and actions need to be heard in this current environment.  We need to be heard along with our brothers and sisters who have been targeted with systemic racism. We need to reach out to our fellow businessmen and women and share in the outrage.

Kim and I pledge to continue with community initiatives like the Dixon School of Arts and Sciences and its trauma-informed learning, and the Escambia Children’s Trust initiative to fund a Children’s Service Council in Escambia County.

But this isn’t enough. Real conversations need to happen to change deep seated beliefs of inferiority and superiority and stereotypes reinforced by our media and some of our world leaders.  It is the business community that effects change. We are the drivers of policy and we have influence and discretionary resources. We should not sit on the sidelines and wait for this turmoil to pass and return to ‘normal’.

I invite those in the Pensacola and Escambia County business community to join me for small groups of meaningful conversations at The Dixon School to talk about what can be done by businessmen and women by listening to each other and members of the community that have dealt with these injustices for generations.  We can impact these multigenerational patterns rooted in inequality and stereotypes and use our collective voices to fight systemic injustice.