35 years of diversity coverage.

Socially, the discussion of race is sensitive, Politically, it's a hot-button issue. And as various studies reveal how our nation's shifting demographics will impact commerce, race is currently engaged in an uneasy courtship with corporate America--not for love, but for money. It's a relationship over which BLACK ENTERPRISE has served as coach, counselor, and, at times, presiding judge for 35 years. Throughout BE'S history, we have not only reported trends, strategies, and challenges in business and professional arenas, we've highlighted trendsetters and trailblazers in our numerous listings. We have identified many who now serve as presidents, and even CEOs, of some of the world's largest publicly traded companies and as leading examples of the benefits of diversity.

There's no question that diversity as a business imperative is currently one of the primary--and, in some cases, overused and misused--themes within the corporate marketplace. It headlines numerous conferences, fills banner space at career and business expos, and is the focus of myriad speeches about best business practices. Diversity lists have become a hot commodity for publications. Fortune magazine, which devotes almost no editorial pages to this topic, publishes an annual diversity list as does DiversityInc, which has been covering diversity for just seven years. Aside from being used as vehicles to build and diversify their reader base, these lists have become another menu item that publications use to entice advertisers and sponsors.

Since the inception of BE, diversity has never been viewed as a fad or business gimmick. Our editors have covered diversity as a vital and competitive business tool and as a way to level the executive suite as mandated by President John F. Kennedy when he introduced the concept of affirmative action in 1961 with Executive Order 10925 and President Lyndon B. Johnson, who put affirmative action into practice when he signed Executive Order 11246 in 1965. In fact, it was BE that grabbed corporate America by the lapels and brought the issue to the forefront of American industry. One of the first articles written about the impact of diversity was our September 1971 cover story "Black Executives: Room at the Top." It revealed the leading black executives and board members of that day, as well as the challenges of implementing a policy of racial inclusion into America's corporations. Since then, we have published a number of lists that have served as the barometer of diversity in the workplace: "In Good Company: The 25 Best Places for Blacks to Work" in the February 1986 issue, the first list of its kind put out by any publication; "The 50 Best Places for Blacks to Work" in the February 1989 issue; and the "25 Best Places for Blacks to Work" in the February 1992 issue. Not to mention the thousands of articles we've written that have explored workplace and supplier diversity and unearthed discriminatory practices.

With our new list, "The 30 Best Companies for Diversity,," we have once again defined diversity--the significant representation of blacks and other ethnic minorities in the workplace, ranks of senior management, supplier programs, and on corporate boards. For more than six months, Editor-in-Chief Alfred Edmond Jr.; Managing Editor Kenneth Meeks; Careers/Lifestyle Editor Sonia Alleyne; Vice President of Marketing Stacia Tackie, who heads our BE research department; as well as VirtCom Enterprises, a strategy management firm focused on corporate diversity issues, and Diversified Data Management, a research management company, tracked companies that engaged in these practices best.

To develop our exclusive roster, we reached out to the top 1,000 publicly traded companies, as well as 50 leading global companies with strong U.S. operations, and asked them to participate in our survey at the CEO and diversity executive levels. Companies were measured using a strict and uncompromising methodology that focused on four key areas that speak to the bottom line: the percentage of minority employees, the percentage of total procurement dollars spent doing business with firms owned by blacks and other ethnic minorities, the percentage of blacks and other minorities represented on the corporate board, and the percentage of minorities in senior management. BE Research and VirtCom followed up with direct contact with top-ranking diversity executives to complete surveys and review pertinent information. VirtCom even developed an alternative Website specifically designed to make filling out the survey more convenient. Under these strict guidelines, we received comprehensive--and enthusiastic--responses from many companies.

A large number of companies, however, refused to participate. They offered reasons ranging from having insufficient data to concern about how the information would be used. Others just displayed downright apathy. "A lot of companies don't respond to these surveys because they're embarrassed," says Joe Watson, CEO of StrategicHire in Reston, Virginia. "They're reluctant to expose their lack of progress in this area. The other possible option is that companies still don't take it seriously. They haven't received the directive from the top that these surveys or even diversity are important. Because filling out a survey is part of the diversity effort--and helpful for the company."

Overall, our 14-page editorial package bears how much further corporate America needs to go to embrace and implement inclusive policies. A recent survey of 1,700 senior human resource executives by Novations/J. Howard & Associates, a Boston-based global consulting firm, found that while 45% of companies report that senior management is "very committed" to the success of diversity efforts, 40% is "somewhat committed," 10% is "not so committed," and 5.6% is "not committed at all." Human resource executives also reported that just 24% of their organizations is overly ambitious about their diversity programs, 44% is "pretty realistic," and one-third concede that senior management "does not have any idea what to expect" from such efforts.

For most companies, diversity is very much in its infancy. But we laud those corporations that have made the effort to commit time and resources to develop diversity programs as a measurable business practice. You'll find them in this issue.

--The Editors