More than 5,000 members of the 3M community came together for a panel discussion about the impact of George Floyd’s death and our next steps to combat systemic inequity and racism.

Our CEO Inclusion Council — leaders who focus on action planning for inclusion and diversity initiatives at 3M — also held listening sessions and candid conversations, inviting 3Mers to speak up about the support and social change they needed. We continue to purposefully create space for 3Mers to voice their experiences and learn about inclusion advocacy. In addition, 3M has partnered with the nonprofit Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) to hold workshops about advancing racial equity and continuing transparent dialogue. This included: Leadership workshops: 3M Corporate Operating Committee members participated in a workshop about confronting systemic racism through antiracist advocacy and prioritizing representation in the workplace. All vice presidents and above attended a workshop on racial inclusion advocacy, and all leadership teams participated in group discussions. — Candid conversations: MLT trained 20 facilitators across 3M who will host small group sessions about racial inclusion advocacy for employees in 2021. These sessions are intended to help 3Mers develop a fluency in having candid conversations about race and understand actions they can take to address systems and processes that create inequities.

Working closely with our Employee Resource Networks 3M leaders have been intentional about listening to our employees, especially those in our Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino communities. These conversations have fostered greater understanding and provided clarity on our progress and path forward. Every step of the way, our Employee Resource Networks (ERNs) have taken on instrumental roles as leaders, influencers and advocates. Following the death of George Floyd, global ERNs came together to acknowledge its impact, listen to each other and help enact change. Leaders from 3M’s African American Network (AAN), Latino Resource Network (LRN) and Women’s Leadership Forum (WLF) spoke at an internal global listening event. AAN and WLF co-sponsored a virtual event featuring an award-winning author who talked about how to have productive conversations about race. And in November, chairs of the AAN and LRN spoke about racial equity at 3M’s virtual Global Inclusion Day event. Fourteen ERN leaders (two of whom are pictured above) also helped select the grant recipients of the 3M Foundation Social Justice Fund. ERNs will continue to be involved in the selection process for $1 million annually in grant funding. In 2020, four nonprofits each received a $250,000 grant: NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., Neighborhood Justice Center, Penumbra Center for Racial Healing and YWCA Saint Paul.