Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/280564
BY MICHAEL BENNETT At a time in our nation's history of renewed calls for economic fairness and a restoration of the ideals once known as the American dream, travel and tourism remains one of the least progressive indus- tries in the nation in terms of economic opportunity for all. Might a CVB report card help fix the problem? We've reported for years the paltry number of African- American CVB executives. Are you curious what lack of diversity truly looks like? Look around or simply go online and examine the leader profiles of some of your favorite desti- nations. As of today, we can only verify 8 African American CVB presidents from over 500 organizations nationwide, even in areas with a significant Black population. That comes out to less than two-percent. "In 2014, it's an embarrassment." (You might remember that quote from President Obama's State of the Union address when referring to unequal pay for women.) The notion that we no longer have qualified people of color to run these organizations is a myth dispelled long ago, so any other representation of that fact is a hoax. But the CVB problems don't just stop at the executive level. Examine the management structure at most CVBs below the president and CEO. Anything catch your eye? You typically find people of color in low-level administrative positions within a CVB or have a member or two on the sales staff to go after the "diversity markets," a phrase, I, and many others have come to loathe. African-American leaders and key stakeholders in San Francisco are being pressured by local hospitality industry officials to call of a boycott that was called in January to address what some believe to be a "systemic exclusion" of African-Americans in the travel and tourism industry. A working group of community leaders, labor representatives, city offi- cials and hospitality executives have been charged with coming up with con- crete plans by April 30 to increase African-American participation in San Francisco's $9 billion industry. Specifically, the group is charged with creating opportunities for African-Americans in the areas of con- tracting and procurement, construction and professional services, assistance for African-American entrepreneurs, and job training and placement for African-American workers. Many are not at all pleased with the moves to squash the boycott. Mathew Thomas, president of Visit San Francisco is extremely con- cerned that efforts to undermine the boycott could ultimately result in minority leaders settling for less than they deserve or that politics will trump true reform. "You don't see us anywhere," says Thomas. He recently attended an event at a hotel with first lady Michelle Obama and challenged those sitting at his table to spot an African- American at the hotel working the event or a person of color working closely with the city for the event. As you might imag- ine Thomas is a staunch supporter of a report card system with teeth to hold destinations accountable. He also made it clear that the boycott has not been called off. These issues aren't unique to the San Francisco CVB. It's an epidemic of epic proportions at destinations all across the country and across all business sectors. Many of you might remember when the NAACP launched the Economic Reciprocity Report (ERI) to measure corporate America's financial relationship with the African-American community. The report, first published in 1998 looked at five broad business sectors. One sector was the lodging industry. Participants in the survey were issued letter grades based on their success or lack thereof, in the areas of employment, mar- keting/communications, charitable giving, supplier diversity B M & T ••• January/February 2014 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 44 •pg_40-45__BMT_pg3-58 2/27/14 4:55 PM Page 44