In 2020, Lilly and the Lilly Foundation launched the Racial Justice Commitment, which supports effective solutions to help combat racial inequity and social injustice. The commitment seeks to improve the educational, health, professional, and social mobility outcomes for Black Americans and individuals from other historically underrepresented communities.

Eric Dozier, our Executive Vice President of HR and Diversity explains, “There’s an African proverb that says, ‘If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.’ We plan to go farther and faster — together.”

We're taking substantive actions to leverage our partnerships, influence, and investments to create lasting change and make life better for our employees, patients, and communities. This includes joining the One Ten Coalition, which aims to connect one million Black individuals with family-sustaining careers over ten years.

“Creating an equity ecosystem in Central Indiana and beyond is crucial to creating a society where historically marginalized groups can move beyond systemic barriers and thrive,” Dozier continued.

Our pledges and programming are only a glimpse at our progress since the Racial Justice Commitment began in 2020. As our chair and CEO, Dave Ricks said upon announcing our pledge to racial justice and equity, “Now is the time for action. Let’s hold ourselves accountable for progress.”

Through the Racial Justice Commitment, we seek to create change in these five focus areas: