The Jena 6 are a group of six black young men who have been charged in the beating of a white young man, one of the Jena Six being found guilty of aggravated assault, a crime that carries a possible 22 year prison sentence. A rally of thousands of protestors is being held today in Jena, Louisiana in regards to this case. Jena is 85% white, with a history of racial tension. Many think the criminal charges weighed against the Jena Six are far too harsh and are racially motivated. I prefer not to dwell on the case itself here. This being a business-based site, I ask, how does the racial element of the Jena 6 case relate to business? The racial and cultural issues involved in this story are poignant issues for any business.

US Federal law attempts to eliminate racism and discrimination from the workplace with various rules and laws about hiring, promotion, and workplace behavior. Unfortunately, while these measures help, they have not eliminated racism or sexism from the business world. There are still people refused employed, refused promotions or raises, being harassed, or getting fired or penalized because of their race, gender, or cultural background. How does a company properly handle these issues?

It starts from the top—from the leaders of the company. The leaders of a company create and enforce the company culture—they must be the ones to set a non-discriminatory tone in their company, a tone of equality. Yes, no company can control employees’ actions 100% of the time, and it is difficult to always weed out the bad apples from the bunch, or keep the bad apples (ie racist-inclined people) from entering the bunch, but a company can be very effective at creating an anti-racist and anti-discriminatory company environment which will strongly discourage such behavior and sentiment.

Then, if a racist incident does occur, the company must be swift, thorough, and just in its actions against the guilty employee. This comes from the leaders and managers of the company—they must be decisive to act properly, to send the message to all business employees that discrimination will not be tolerated.

As with many issues, it all begins and ends with the individual. The company leaders themselves must be strong examples, but the company employees are also 100% personally responsible and accountable for their own thoughts and actions. The proper system and company culture must be created by the leaders, then the individual employees are responsible for being good citizens.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Jena 6 case, here is a video of the NBC news coverage:

Photo courtesy of ABCNews.com.