Mellody Hobson Calls on People to be ‘Color Brave’ Not ‘Color Blind’

By Taylor Gordon | Published on March 25, 2014 | Updated on March 25, 2014 9:42 PM EDT

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In recent years While Hobson admitted she laughs about the incident now, it is still a true story and proof that the issue of racism has not been corrected. “I’m not here to complain,” she said during the TED talk. “I’ve been treated well by people of all races more often than not. I have succeeded in my life more than my wildest expectations. I tell the uniform story because it happened.” She also revealed troubling statistics that supported her claim that it is more important to be “color brave” than “color blind.” According to Hobson, white men make up only 30 percent of the U.S. population, yet they hold 70 percent of all corporate board seats. The Fortune 250 only includes seven minority CEOs, and of all the publicly traded companies only two are chaired by Black women – one of them being Hobson. Hobson is currently the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Ariel Mutual Funds and the Chairman of DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. in addition to serving on several other boards. She went on to say that it’s not just the owners of businesses who need to embrace color bravery. “If you’re part of a hiring process or admissions process, you can be color brave,” she said. “If you are trying to solve a really hard problem, you can speak up and be color brave. If you’re doing a brainstorming session at work or at school, you can be color brave.” Hobson told the crowd that color bravery is vital to the future of the country that claims to be the “land of the free and the home of the brave” because addressing the issue of racism “head on” is what will allow every child to know “that their future matters and their dreams are possible.”

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