Dominion Energy : Fostering social and racial justice both within Dominion Energy and beyond

A year ago, I shared some thoughts about Juneteenth and my grandfather, who struggled against the mental bondage that remained long after slavery and Jim Crow were abolished. I closed by noting that while we should celebrate the abolition of slavery, we should look forward with steadfast conviction about what we want the future to be.

A great deal has happened since then. It seems appropriate to consider what has changed - and what hasn't - and what work remains to be done.

We certainly have seen some changes for the better, spurred on by protests against social injustice. These include a movement to reform how policing is carried out - one area in which African Americans have faced unjustly disparate treatment for decades - and the removal of many symbols honoring the Confederacy and its leaders.

Unfortunately, structural racism and old-fashioned bigotry remain far too prevalent. For example, studies published by ABC News, Nature, Stanford University, and others show that African Americans are still more likely to be subject to traffic stops, and more likely to be searched when we are stopped. Additionally, significant health and educational disparities persist. And recently, the news highlighted the story of Carlette Duffy, a black woman who received two surprisingly low appraisals for her house. When she asked a white neighbor to stand in for her, the third appraisal came in at more than double the first.