When DEI Goes Quiet, the Data Doesn’t
Introducing the Black Dollar Initiative -- a digital cooperative for Black corporate and economic insights.
Happy Black History Month!
Over the past year, as corporate DEI commitments quietly stalled and public reporting became more selective, it became clear that consumer-facing tools alone weren’t enough. We needed infrastructure — something durable, independent, and built to outlast political cycles.
That’s the work of the Black Dollar Initiative.
Over the last several months, the Black Dollar Initiative has built a dedicated research platform and AI-assisted system designed to ingest, verify, and classify corporate equity data directly from company disclosures — not press releases. This allows us to 1) track what companies actually do, who benefits, and where progress or regression is happening in real time and 2) OWN THE DATA INFRASTRUCTURE.
Today, the Black Dollar Initiative officially launched wearebdi.org to share these findings on an ongoing basis. Consider this a new kind of digital cooperative for Black corporate and economic insights.
The Initiative is tracking:
80+ corporations
Hundreds of verified equity signals
Billions in disclosed investments
Dozens of EEO-1 workforce reports
The platform is designed for journalists, advocates, researchers, and decision-makers — the people shaping narrative, pressure, and policy — and it treats corporate filings as evidence, not marketing. If a commitment isn’t written, documented, and traceable, it doesn’t count.
One of the most critical findings so far: progress for Black people is increasingly being obscured through aggregation. Many companies roll Black outcomes into broader “diversity” or “underrepresented” categories, making it harder to see who is actually gaining — and who is losing ground. Our methodology corrects for that by tracking Black-specific signals separately and transparently.
Early analysis of 2023–2025 reporting points to several clear trends:
Regression in Black workforce representation after 2023 peaks
Quiet retirement of accountability structures and goals
Persistent underrepresentation in senior leadership
Reduced transparency as a leading indicator of retreat
Capital shifting away from Black-focused initiatives even as Black dollars remain in play
This work powers the Black Dollar Index — and it exists so communities don’t have to wait for corporations to explain themselves.
We will be sharing something very soon that will help to make this data more actionable for consumers 🖤💚
If you want to go deeper into the research, methodology, or early findings shaping what 2026 may look like, you can explore the full Black Dollar Initiative update below:
Black Dollar Initiative is a 501(c)(3) Public Charity. Donations are Tax-Deductible — EIN 85-2383485. Please consider supporting the work here.
ICYMI
Be informed.
Check out the Black Dollar Index Shop for merch that goes towards our mission to create a more equitable relationship between corporations and Black communities.
The Black Dollar Initiative is the independent 501(c)(3) research and advocacy hub that supports the Black Dollar Index. Your donation will go towards creating a more equitable relationship between corporations and our communities. Donations are tax-deductible (EIN: 85-2383485).