[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 186 (Monday, November 20, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2220-E2221]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           CORPORATE AMERICA BENEFITS FROM AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

                                 ______


                           HON. LOUIS STOKES

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, November 20, 1995

  Mr. STOKES. Mr. Speaker, on October 26, 1995, the Executive 
Leadership Council and Foundation held its seventh annual recognition 
dinner in Washington, DC. The Leadership Council is comprised of 
African-American executives of Fortune 500 companies. I had the 

[[Page E 2221]]
 privilege of joining Council president, Ann M. Fudge, and a host of 
distinguished guests for a very enjoyable as well as enlightening 
meeting.
  One of the highlights of the Leadership Council's dinner was an 
excellent speech on the issue of affirmative action. The speech was 
delivered by John H. Bryan, chairman and chief executive officer of the 
Sara Lee Corp. He is well qualified to address this topic, having spent 
the past 35 years in top management positions in the world of business, 
and 21 years at the helm of Sara Lee.
  During his remarks to the Leadership Council, Mr. Bryan looked at the 
issue of affirmative action from a business standpoint. He cited the 
movement of minorities and women over the years into business positions 
that previously were held only by white males. He stated:

       This opening up of business opportunities is enormously 
     significant. For it is a reversal of the course of all 
     history, a history during which minorities and women have 
     been largely excluded from leadership roles in the world of 
     business.

  Despite the success of affirmative action initiatives, however, Mr. 
Bryan expressed his concern that the greatest challenges lie ahead. He 
warned the audience that in light of the current climate on the 
business and political front, affirmative action must be vigorously 
defended. Mr. Bryan concluded his speech before the Executive 
Leadership Council by saying,

       The economic opportunities for people of generations to 
     come in America--and, yes, even around the world, depend on 
     the continuing success of the United States in advancing 
     diversity throughout its business and corporate sector.

  Mr. Speaker, those of us who are staunch defenders of affirmative 
action recognize the sober truth of Mr. Bryan's remarks. His speech is 
also very timely. I am pleased to share John Bryan's remarks with my 
colleagues. He has provided us with keen insight on a very important 
topic.

                  Executive Leadership Council Remarks

                           (By John H. Bryan)

       Thank you very much. It is a great honor for me to serve as 
     a co-chairman of this Executive Leadership Council dinner 
     tonight. And, I am especially pleased to be joined in this 
     chairmanship by Vernon Jordan, someone who is a contemporary 
     of mine, a fellow-southerner, a great friend, and one of my 
     bosses as a result of his being on Sara Lee's Board of 
     Directors for many years.
       It is my privilege to serve as a warm-up act for Vernon 
     this evening! To do that, I shall be brief, but I do want to 
     offer a few thoughts on the current times. These are thoughts 
     that come from the perspective of someone who has spent the 
     past 35 years in top management positions in the world of 
     business, and the past 21 years as the chief officer of a 
     sizable firm and a board member of several other large firms.
       During that time, there have been remarkable social changes 
     in our country, one of the most significant being the 
     movement of minorities and women into business positions that 
     previously were held only by whites. This opening up of 
     business opportunities is enormously significant. For it is a 
     reversal of the course of all history, a history during which 
     minorities and women have been largely excluded from 
     leadership roles in the world of business.
       And, tonight, we are all here only because of the 
     advancements which so many have made in the business world. 
     It is that advancement which allows us, tonight, to celebrate 
     the accomplishments of individuals in business and give 
     recognition to exceptional corporate achievement. But, today, 
     there are serious threats to maintaining and continuing such 
     progress--threats to accomplish the aims of an organization 
     like the Executive Leadership Council.
       The political winds are shifting. Affirmative action, the 
     tool which has been the key to effective change, is today 
     subjected to rhetoric which condemns it or at least questions 
     its usefulness. Thus, today, affirmative action is a fragile 
     concept and, for that reason, future progress is fragile.
       My point of view is that affirmative action must be 
     vigorously defended. Twenty-five years is not long enough to 
     change a nature in people, a nature which for centuries has 
     caused people to discriminate and abuse one another based on 
     differences of race, religion, gender or whatever. And, in 
     twenty-five years, surely not enough has been accomplished to 
     put to rest the best tool which has been used to make the 
     progress thus far.
       I wish that I could tell you that corporate America does 
     not need affirmative action to do what is right, but that is 
     not the case. Corporate America is busy--busy merging, 
     globalizing, reengineering, and, most of all, just trying to 
     satisfy shareholders in the most competitive environment the 
     world has ever seen.
       The advancement of minorities and women is not the highest 
     priority for most of corporate America today. And so without 
     affirmative action, without an outside spotlight on this 
     issue, without the strongest possible effort by organizations 
     such as ELC, to measure and recognize progress in this area, 
     there is serious risk to the future of gains and 
     opportunities for minorities and women in business.
       We must keep in mind that affirmative action actually 
     works. It, in fact, is how we manage our businesses, making 
     choices and telling one another what to do. In my experience 
     in the corporate world, people do change their thinking 
     rather quickly when faced with directives from above. We, in 
     business, use affirmative action to change attitudes all the 
     time--setting objectives, deciding what course to take, 
     telling people to just ``do it''.
       And I expect this is precisely the approach used when the 
     management team of President Clinton was selected a few years 
     ago. You will recall that President Clinton openly and 
     consciously chose his management team with the specification 
     that his appointees had to ``look like America.'' By doing 
     that, Bill Clinton defined inclusion and praised diversity as 
     no other president before him. And, with a little help from 
     Vernon Jordon, he named the most diverse cabinet in our 
     history, 29% of his management group were African American, 
     14% Hispanic, and nearly one-half women. Regardless of one's 
     political persuasion, this dramatic example of affirmative 
     action by a president was a notable happening in America.
       The balanced cabinet of President Clinton demonstrated to 
     us so clearly that the problem never has been one of finding 
     capable minorities, women or people from diverse groups, the 
     problem has been creating the right environment--an 
     environment in which such individuals have an equal 
     opportunity to contribute.
       It is organizations like you, the ELC, who must support 
     that environment. You must keep measuring performance, 
     recognizing the success of people and corporations, and you 
     must work to keep our government engaged and our political 
     leadership supportive.
       The economic opportunities for people of generations to 
     come in America--and, yes even around the world, depend on 
     the continuing success of the United States in advancing 
     diversity throughout its business and corporate sector.
       Thus, it is imperative that we, in this time, defend the 
     concept of affirmative action.
       I compliment the Executive Leadership Council tonight, and 
     let me offer the strongest possible encouragement for you to 
     continue your good works.

                          ____________________