The Past Speaks

The summer of 2020 was a difficult one for the companies that once profited from African slave labour, as these firms, which include such prominent corporations as Citibank and Barclays, faced calls from Black Lives Matter and others to apologize and pay reparations for their involvement in the historic crime of slavery. The managers of these firms responded in strikingly different ways. About thirty extant US and UK firms with documented ties to pre-1865 Black slavery have faced criticism for their roles in what is now universally regarded as a terrible crime against humanity. Tomorrow, I’ll present research that aims to explain why the companies accused of historic involvement in slavery have responded in such different ways. I’ll be speaking to a webinar organized by the Academy of Management’s Social Issues in Management Division. To attend the webinar, please register here.

I’m really looking forward to presenting my co-authored research and from hearing about the interesting research of my co-panelists.

AOM Social Issues in Management Division
Hosts: Paul T. Harper (Pittsburgh) & David Wasieleski (Duquesne)

Featuring:
Andrew Smith (Liverpool)
Jennifer Johns (Bristol)
Leon Prieto (Clayton State)
Simone Phipps (Middle Georgia State)

Panel will provide examples of the ways ahistorical methods and temporal frames expose and occlude the role of race in knowledge creation processes. The Atlantic Slave Trade as a context for understanding current management practices will be discussed as well as the unrecognized history of Black entrepreneurship in the U.S.
Lead Sponsor: Katz Graduate School of Business, University of Pittsburgh. Special thanks to the David Berg Centre for Ethics and Leadership for sponsoring the event.