Many organizations in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors have begun to take action to address the systemic racism entrenched in their processes, systems, and structures. This has included commitments to elevate initiatives for equity, diversity, and inclusion. Data indicate that such good-faith efforts are often not as successful as leaders and organizations had envisioned. Our assertion is that if we really want to address systemic racism in organizations, we must first attend to the people who work there. This is because their individual and collective character, revealed through behavior, drives and determines organizational processes, systems, structures, and culture. The purpose of this article is to connect character to the creation and sustainment of organizational cultures of equity, diversity, and inclusion with a specific focus on anti-Black racism. Character is not a subjective, amorphous entity but manifests as a set of observable behaviors. We explain that character equips people with consciousness and the conduct to embrace and cultivate equity, diversity, and inclusion in their organizations and in their lives. We provide concrete examples of the dimensions of character in action using brief illustrations.

公共、私营和非营利部门的许多组织已经开始采取行动，解决其流程、系统和结构中根深蒂固的系统性种族主义问题。这包括承诺提升公平、多样性和包容性的举措。数据表明，这种善意的努力往往并不像领导者和组织所设想的那样成功。我们的主张是，如果我们真的想解决组织中的系统性种族主义问题，我们必须首先关注在那里工作的人。这是因为他们通过行为揭示的个人和集体特征驱动并决定了组织流程、系统、结构和文化。本文的目的是将性格与公平、多样性、和包容，特别关注反黑人种族主义。性格不是一个主观的、无定形的实体，而是表现为一组可观察的行为。我们解释说，性格使人们具有意识和行为，以在他们的组织和生活中拥抱和培养公平、多样性和包容性。我们使用简短的插图提供角色在行动中的维度的具体示例。