Indy Racial Equity Pledge Launches to Drive Accountability, Action and Progress on Racial Equity

Local coalition launches pledge and website, calling on more Central Indiana organizations to sign on, make commitments and track progress publicly

News provided by

Eli Lilly and Company

Oct 08, 2020, 08:45 ET

INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A local coalition of corporate and civic organizations has launched the Indy Racial Equity Pledge to hold their organizations accountable for driving measurable progress in advancing racial equity for African Americans in Central Indiana. By signing the pledge, organizations commit to use their resources and influence to accelerate progress on racial equity in four key areas: health, prosperity, education and criminal justice.

The commitments are posted on IndyRacialEquityPledge.com, where progress will be tracked and reported. Commitments can include financial investments, community initiatives, in-kind donations, advocacy, volunteerism, and internal diversity and inclusion efforts.

The Indy Racial Equity Pledge was established by Eli Lilly and Company, Anthem, Inc., Citizens Energy Group, Cummins, Inc., IU Health, Pacers Sports & Entertainment, Roche Diagnostics, Salesforce, and the Business Equity for Indy Committee. The Business Equity for Indy Committee, a special committee of corporate leaders formed by the Indy Chamber and the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, aims to create a fairer and more inclusive business future for the City of Indianapolis.

Other Central Indiana corporate and civic organizations are encouraged to sign the pledge and make commitments.

"We're at a critical inflection point," said Jeffrey A. Harrison, president and CEO, Citizens Energy Group and chair of the Business Equity for Indy Committee. "By creating the Indy Racial Equity Pledge, we're committing to action and accountability. It's critical that leading organizations across Central Indiana actively join the fight for racial equity, using their voice, influence and resources to create the change we want to see within our own organizations and within our communities."

By signing on to the pledge, organizations agree to take meaningful action to address issues of racial equity in Central Indiana and post their commitments on IndyRacialEquityPledge.com. The commitments are focused on four key areas – health, prosperity, education and criminal justice – where African Americans face systemic disparities in outcomes.

The Indy Racial Equity Pledge is being launched today at a press event featuring Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett, Tony Mason, president and CEO of the Indianapolis Urban League, Dave Ricks, chairman and CEO of Lilly, and other senior leaders from companies that have signed the pledge.

"We applaud the commitment of Indianapolis companies in taking on one of the most important issues of our time: racial equity," said Mayor Hogsett. "With corporate and civic organizations working together, we can accelerate the pace of change toward a future where everyone has an equal chance to succeed in our community."

"We must confront these racial injustices now, and we must confront them head-on," said Ricks from Lilly. "We're proud to join this coalition and publicly commit to addressing systemic inequities that confront African Americans every day. There is a spirit of transformation underway, but we must answer this call to action if we are going to create lasting change."

The Pledge
Corporate and civic organizations that sign the Indy Racial Equity Pledge commit to the following:

We pledge to take meaningful action to address the issues of racial equity and justice in Central Indiana. As leaders in this community, we must hold one another accountable for creating short- and long-term change for African Americans. We pledge to share our progress toward the goal of a racially equitable community.

You can see each organization's specific commitments on IndyRacialEquityPledge.com.

Central Indiana organizations interested in joining the pledge can send a message to [email protected].

About Eli Lilly and Company
Lilly is a global health care leader that unites caring with discovery to create medicines that make life better for people around the world. We were founded more than a century ago by a man committed to creating high-quality medicines that meet real needs, and today we remain true to that mission in all our work. Across the globe, Lilly employees work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. To learn more about Lilly, please visit us at lilly.com and lilly.com/newsroom. CR-LLY

Refer to:	Jen Dial (Lilly); [email protected]; 317-220-1172
	Lori LeRoy (CICP); [email protected]; 317-514-0095
	Joe Pellman (Indy Chamber); [email protected]; 317-464-2251