Corporate Personhood and the Corporate Responsibility to Race

Abstract

Often overlooked in studies of the corporation is the recognition that the modern corporate form and its power are rooted in the issue of race, and more specifically, in racial oppression. The racialized roots of the corporation become exposed when we acknowledge the significance of slavery and the Fourteenth Amendment to the evolution of the corporate form along with the discriminatory role corporations have traditionally played in shaping race relations in the U.S. This article draws upon several theoretical perspectives, primarily critical race theory, management theory, legal studies, diversity management, and corporate social responsibility to introduce the corporate responsibility to race concept and establish it as a new basis for understanding why corporate persons have a responsibility for improving race relations.

AI cheerleaders: Public relations, neoliberalism and artificial intelligence

“…The Fourteenth Amendment was intended to protect the personhood of newly freed blacks. See Logan, 2018. 3. Notably in the 1960s-1970s, and again in the 1980s.…”

“…Corporations were once deemed ‘artificial persons’ under the law. But, after costly, sustained bombardment of the US legal system, corporations successfully co-opted the Fourteenth Amendment 2 to acquire legal ‘personhood’, securing greater rights over individuals (Logan, 2018; Mark, 1987). This corroborates Couldry’s (2010) view that having a voice requires practical resources and symbolic status in order to be recognised by others.…”

Race-Conscious Career Development: Exploring Self-Preservation and Coping Strategies of Black Professionals in Corporate America

“…Companies can begin to repair racial tensions by accepting accountability for their past and present contributions to racial divisions in labor (Collins, 1997) and economic success (Chetty et al, 2020; Cole & Omari, 2003). Several companies have benefited from disempowering, profiting, exploiting, and excluding Blacks in the workplace (Collins, 1997; Logan, 2019), and although diversity management (DM) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts have helped minimize stigma to acknowledge the existence of racism in organizations (Brief et al, 1997; Holder et al, 2015), a greater focus is needed to make impactful and sustainable change. DM and CSR language should no longer be coded and modified to meet the demands of the marketplace.…”

“…DM and CSR language should no longer be coded and modified to meet the demands of the marketplace. Instead, companies can start by admitting their wrong-doings and adhering to the social demands of operating “ethical organizational behavior that benefits [all of] society” (Logan, 2019, p. 982). The current race-relations of 2020, has prompted companies to respond to this call of action with much more urgency and meaningful resolutions.…”

“…More progressive scholars realize that race also influences career choices (Barret et al, 2004; Clair et al, 2016; Vallas, 2003). Other experts acknowledge that racial minorities have not entirely been able to recover from America’s history of expansionism and exploitation of labor (Brief et al, 1997; Logan, 2019; Yancy, 2016).…”