During a business meeting full of men, Roberta Sydney was not shy about setting them straight, especially when they assumed she was there to get coffee and take notes. It was her name on the door of the real estate development company, she firmly explained. “There are always opportunities to be miscast when you look different than people expect,” she said. Her directness, combined with compassion and a willingness to work on learning skills such as board leadership, has helped her succeed in not one, but two male-dominated industries: financial services and real estate/construction. [...]

We’re thrilled to welcome the incoming Institute for Business in Global Society (BiGS) Racial Equity Fellow **Victor Ray**. Victor Ray is the F. Wendell Miller Associate Professor at the University of Iowa. He has built a strong body of scholarship on topics of race in organizations, and how social constructs of race are replicated in the workplace. Professor Ray has also presented at our Race, Gender, and Equity Symposium in past years, including his stirring [2022 presentation on racialized organizations](https://youtu.be/QOsL2O2ZGEA?si=TH3A_6WyGvi10a_r). We asked Professor Ray about his background, his current research, and his upcoming year at HBS. Read on to learn more about his work. [...]

This June, we’re reflecting on the cultural and political progress of the past few decades, as well as the tenuous condition of LGBTQ+ rights under threat from polarizing rhetoric and legislation. Equity necessitates space and safety for all groups, but our systems center on a particular narrative archetype of heteronormativity that has negatively impacted the LGBTQ+ community. [...]

Professor Mahzarin Banaji is a Professor of Psychology at Harvard University, studying implicit beliefs, values, and social groups. Known for coining the term “implicit bias” along with colleagues, her insights on the topic of AI offered depth to our interview series. In conversation, she discusses how a digital archive of language can help us track attitudes across time periods, and how we can use algorithmic data to reflect on our own beliefs. Additionally, she offers a word of caution for developers of algorithms and AI innovators to exercise their conscience while creating these new pathways. [...]

In this feature interview, Professor Daron Acemoglu discusses his latest book, Power and Progress, and explores parallels between historical technological revolutions and today’s AI boom. He highlights how past innovations, like the windmill and cotton gin, have alternately driven prosperity and exacerbated inequality, suggesting AI could follow similar patterns. The conversation touches on the risks AI poses to workers, emphasizing that its impact depends on human choices rather than technological determinism. He raises questions about the market's ability to prevent AI from worsening inequality, pointing out the significant influence of big tech companies, advocating for a course correction to harness AI's potential positively. Despite some optimism from labor unions and open discussions about regulation, he foresees potential disappointments due to unrealistic expectations and rapid implementation of AI. The advice is clear: business leaders must view workers as valuable resources rather than costs. [...]