SABRINA SAUNDERS MOSBY (LEFT) IS PRESIDENT AND CEO OF VIBRANT PITTSBURGH. ANGELA REYNOLDS (RIGHT) IS CEO OF 2024 VIBRANT CHAMPION YWCA GREATER PITTSBURGH.
Comes at a time when DEI is under attack across the country
The New Pittsburgh Courier has learned that 15 companies and organizations were named “2024 Vibrant Champions” by the organization Vibrant Pittsburgh for their commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
It comes at a time when DEI is under attack across the nation, as some companies try to ease out of supporting DEI in its hiring practices and employee-bonding activities.
The “2024 Vibrant Champions” are: Aires, Ansys, BNY, Community College of Allegheny County, DICK’s Sporting Goods, Giant Eagle, Hugh Lane Wellness Foundation, People’s Gas/Essential Utilities, PNC Financial Services, Pittsburgh Promise, Schell Games, U.S. Steel, UPMC, Women’s Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh, and YWCA Greater Pittsburgh.
To become a Vibrant Champion, participating organizations had to score a 95 percent or better in the “Vibrant Index 5.0” assessment, a joint effort from Vibrant Pittsburgh and the Allegheny Conference on Community Development. Roughly 100 organizations participated, and those organizations represent 185,000 people, or 16 percent of the Pittsburgh region’s workforce.
According to a statement from Vibrant Pittsburgh, this year’s Vibrant Index 5.0 evaluated organizations on various criteria, including leadership commitment, workplace culture, recruitment and retention, and supplier diversity. This year’s Vibrant Index featured enhanced metrics and deeper insights, reflecting the evolving landscape of DEI best practices.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs and practices have been under attack, especially after the billionaire Elon Musk, who owns X, formerly known as Twitter, called DEI “another word for racism. Shame on anyone who uses it.”
In June 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court, armed with former President Donald Trump’s appointees, struck down Affirmative Action, which effectively ended race-conscious admissions practices at colleges and universities across the country. Justice Clarence Thomas, who is Black, voted to eliminate Affirmative Action. He wrote in his decision: “While I am painfully aware of the social and economic ravages which have befallen my race and all who suffer discrimination, I hold our enduring hope that this country will live up to its principles that…all men are created equal, are equal citizens, and must be treated equally before the law.”
Big companies such as Google and Meta (which owns Facebook) have cut DEI-related positions and programs. The same can be said about the video conferencing platform company Zoom, which cut its internal DEI team. DoorDash, Lyft and Home Depot also took the knife to DEI teams there, slashing them by at least 50 percent.
In July 2023, 13 Republican attorneys general wrote a letter to the top corporations in their respective states, practically warning them not to use racial preferences in hiring and promotion decisions. In the letter, obtained by the Courier, the attorneys general wrote that “the Supreme Court’s recent decision should place every employer and contractor on notice of the illegality of racial quotas and race-based preferences in employment and contracting practices.”
The letter ended with: “We urge you to immediately cease any unlawful race-based quotas or preferences your company has adopted for its employment and contracting practices. If you choose not to do so, know that you will be held accountable—sooner rather than later—for your decision to continue treating people differently because of the color of their skin.”
Among the 13 Republican attorneys general who co-signed the letter were West Virginia’s attorney general, Patrick Morrissey, and Indiana’s attorney general, Todd Rokita.
Pennsylvania has a Democratic attorney general, Michelle Henry, and by the November General Election, the next Pa. attorney general could be Pittsburgh native and Democrat Eugene DePasquale. He’ll be opposed by Republican Dave Sunday in the election for AG.
DEI practices are not under attack as much in the Pittsburgh region, although the Vibrant Pittsburgh annual report showed that even though there were 15 Vibrant Champions crowned, there were some 85 companies and organizations that participated and didn’t get the Vibrant Champion designation. That doesn’t mean they aren’t committed to DEI practices, but it does show that those companies could do more than they’re currently doing.
PANELISTS SPEAK DURING VIBRANT PITTSBURGH’S FIRST LIVE “REPORT TO THE REGION” ON JUNE 25, DOWNTOWN. THEY INCLUDE SABRINA SAUNDERS MOSBY, PRESIDENT AND CEO, VIBRANT PITTSBURGH; ROBERT CHERRY, CEO, PARTNER4WORK; AUGUSTINE (GUS) FAUCHER, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF ECONOMIST, THE PNC FINANCIAL SERVICES GROUP; AND MAJESTIC LANE, CHIEF EQUITY OFFICER, ALLEGHENY CONFERENCE ON COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT.
U.S. Steel was more ecstatic than a kid on Christmas morning about their Vibrant Champion designation for 2024. “U.S. Steel’s 2024 recognition as a Vibrant Pittsburgh Champion is another proof point of the progress we are making in our commitment to build and maintain a culture of belonging across our global operations,” said U.S. Steel President and Chief Executive Officer David B. Burritt, in a statement.
“Our Vibrant Index results give us confidence that the DEI goals we have set for ourselves align with the larger goals of the region, and even the country, to attract, retain and grow a diverse workforce ready to tackle the challenges of the future,” added Mike Williams, U. S. Steel Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer.
YWCA Greater Pittsburgh was another Vibrant Champion for 2024, the second consecutive year it was selected. In 2023, Chief Executive Officer Angela Reynolds touted how the organization created a position of Vice President, Equity and Culture, who makes sure all of its policies are aligned with leading practices when it comes to gender pay equity and transparency.
“We aim to be a model workplace for a diverse workforce,” Reynolds said.
New for 2024, Reynolds said the organization adopted the CROWN Act, which allows for Black women to wear their natural hair in any style without retribution, and the organization has formed strategic partnerships with non-profits “that are working to advance racial justice and gender equity,” Reynolds said.
BNY Mellon was another Vibrant Champion. Its Director/Pittsburgh Regional Manager Andrea Stanford said that the company in April 2024 launched its first Enterprise-Wide Community Month, which gave employees the opportunity to volunteer in the communities where they live, work and play. “That’s what we believe in thriving together as core to our success as a firm and as a community,” Stanford said.
DICK’s Sporting Goods, or DSG, has Teammate Resource Groups that help employees gain a support network based on certain identities or beliefs. DSG went full steam ahead on enhancing those TRGs with the help of its DEI office. It’s a big reason they were named a 2023 Vibrant Champion, and repeated the honor in 2024.
One of the TRGs is BLN, or Black Leadership Network. In a produced video for 2023, DICK’s employee Dominique said that BLN made her feel “as if I’m thriving and not surviving. There’s a difference of watching a finals championship game and being a part of the finals championship game. Knowing that my values, experience and opinions matter, and all the tools needed to be successful, is a game-changer.”
At the conclusion of the Vibrant Index 5.0 report, Vibrant Pittsburgh CEO Sabrina Saunders Mosby, an Oakland Catholic High School graduate, reiterated that words from company leaders are not enough. “True progress is achieved through actions rooted in genuine commitment and guided by data-driven strategies.”
Mosby ended her letter with the famous phrase: “Good intentions don’t change the world—actions do.”
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