Organizations seek to merge workplace wellness with Black History Month commemorations

The events of 2020 changed the workplace wellness calculus. A focus on jobsite health and safety came to the fore, as did financial health in a year of economic turmoil. Last year’s social justice movement also became a defining element in workplace wellness, and organizations resolved that 2021 was the year they’d show results in diversity, equity and inclusion—and not just talk about it.

That’s the context this month, as new definitions of workplace wellness converge with Black History Month. We asked comms and wellness pros from several organizations what they’re doing to commemorate Black History Month in 2021, and whether it’s different from the past.

At the financial-services company Wells Fargo, DE&I is central to the culture, and not just during Black History Month, says Head of Communications Barri Rafferty. The company has a number of initiatives and commemorations set for this month, including investments in six Black-owned banks.

Wells Fargo, based in San Francisco, is also sponsoring an event hosted by the U.S. Black Chamber of Commerce called “A historical profile of Black excellence from Black Wall Street through the COVID-19 Pandemic.”