Short spoken-message (YouTube) from Yancey Ford, a transgender Black New Yorker, urging leaders and businesses to act courageously and prioritize inclusivity. Ford emphasizes using power and access to "drop the ladder down" for underrepresented people, refusing to let fear of hatred dictate life, and committing to extend help to bring others into the spotlight.
For leaders looking to increase your impact, I would simply say look outside your usual circles. I'm a transgender black New Yorker. I have decided to live my life not in fear of other people's hatred. I've decided that I'm going to move through the world with courage. I think that the responsibility of American businesses is to be brave. If you are a trans person or a person who is, quote, unquote, in an other category or an underrepresented category, use whatever power and access you have to to drop the ladder down. Don't ever. If you are in a position of power, don't ever pull the ladder up behind you. You're going to discover an incredibly talented pool of people who would love to work for you. It is such a thrill to realize that what I can do with the access and power that I have is extend a hand and help someone else up into the spotlight. Someone left that ladder down for me to climb up, and it's my job, and it's your job, if you're in a position of power, to leave that ladder in place and to make it longer so that more people can follow us. My name is Yancey Ford, and I'm ready to make change.
