Bite-Sized Business Law Disclosureland: How Corporate Words Constrain Racial Progress
Corporate statements about race have become commonplace, yet they often deliver far less than they promise. In this episode of Bite-Sized Business Law, host Amy Martella speaks with Atinuke Adediran, Professor of Law at Fordham Law School, about her book Disclosureland: How Corporate Words Constrain Racial Progress. Drawing on research at the intersection of business, law, and society, Professor Adediran examines how corporate disclosures shape public understanding of racial inequality, and how companies frequently treat public statements as a stand-in for real action. The conversation addresses the surge of corporate commitments following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, when companies rapidly issued public statements on racial equity after years of relative silence. Professor Adediran introduces the idea of race-conscious image construction, explaining how companies use these statements to build reputations that benefit them, even when meaningful follow-through is limited. The episode also explores the growing pattern of companies revising or removing earlier commitments amid political and legal pressure, a process Professor Adediran calls race-conscious retraction. She closes by explaining why racial progress cannot rely on corporate speech alone and why stronger oversight and accountability remain essential. Listen to the full conversation for a clear, timely examination of how corporate words can shape and limit racial progress.
Key Points From This Episode:
- What inspired Disclosureland and Professor Adediran’s research into the inauthenticity of corporate language and its impact on racial progress.
- An overview of the wave of corporate statements after George Floyd’s murder.
- Examining how rare public disclosures about race were before 2020.
- The kinds of racial commitments companies began making during this period.
- Why companies turned to disclosure as a response to public and employee pressure.
- Defining “race-conscious image construction” and its role in corporate reputation.
- How racial disclosures can boost reputation without actually changing internal practices.
- The problem of pledges made without context, history, or measurable grounding.
- How companies use past statements to block shareholder audits and scrutiny.
- Introducing “race-conscious retraction” and what it looks like in practice.
- Political and legal pressures driving companies to revise or erase commitments.
- How empty commitments and later retraction actively constrain racial progress.
- Why federal government involvement is essential for accountability and racial progress.
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Atinuke Adediran | Fordham Law School
Disclosureland: How Corporate Words Constrain Racial Progress
Fordham University School of Law Corporate Law Center