Filed under: Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Toyota
Black Enterprise names Toyota among best companies for diversity
Remember Reverend Jesse Jackson's call for greater diversity among Asian automakers such as Honda and Hyundai? Well, if the July issue of Black Enterprise is any indication, either his words made a difference, or Jackson was all wet to begin with.According to the publication, Toyota makes the grade for diversity. The second largest automaker in the world is one of forty firms that 'demonstrate significant representation of African Americans and other ethnic minorities in areas including procurement, corporate boards, senior management and the total work force.' The automaker is also recognized with others in "10 Best Companies in Marketing Diversity" and "10 Best Companies in Supplier Diversity".
The July 2006 issue marks the first time that Toyota has participated in Black Enterprise's survey.
[Source: Cincinnati Business Courier]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
iQuack 8:44PM (6/15/2006)
Good for Toyota!
Good people build good cars.
As for Jesse Jackson, he's nothing but an sleazy extortionist and I'd give him credit for nothing but harming the people he claims to help.
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Steve 8:50PM (6/15/2006)
Ford should have won, half their workforce is Mexican :P
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Equality for All 9:38PM (6/15/2006)
I don't think anybody should care what a magazine that discriminates on the color of ones skin has to say. The way I was raised, that's called racist, and racism is wrong.
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Tool 9:41PM (6/15/2006)
The opening paragraph of this article should have read< "Remember when Reverend Jesse Jackson put a gun to the heads of the Asian automakers to have greater diversity?"
I am a liberal, pro-business Democrat and I think Jesse Jackson has done a lot of good. But I remember when he basically forced Toyota to hire more minorities. TMS then made a big fuss of it, just to get Jesse off their back.
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WillDaThrill 10:15PM (6/15/2006)
Does anyone even listen to Jesse Jackson anymore? I stopped listening a long time ago because I got tired of trying to dicpher his hyms. People like him only exsist to keep the races bickering at each other.
If we stop thinking "the man" is keeping stuff from us and start concentrating on being successful, then success will come. I never heard of any successful minorities saying that someone kept them from being successful. They may have had a hard time getting there do to certain situations, but no one keeps you from success except you.
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DT 10:24PM (6/15/2006)
ummm I think Ford and DCX made the list as well.
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mr 10:46PM (6/15/2006)
The source was actually a Toyota press release.
And were there any other automakers on the list? I notice that's Ralph Gilles on the cover.
I'm not an apologist for the domestic automakers, but Jesus, Autoblog...
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Eric 10:58PM (6/15/2006)
1. If they named Toyota "among the best companies for diversity" who did they name among the best for unity? Oh that's right. It isn't cool to talk about unity. It's only cool to talk about diversity.
2. This magazine clearly has biggot / racist agenda deserving of only the worst type of hell possible. I don't care what race you're pushing, if you're a racist black person you're just bad as a racist white person.
3. Jesse Jackson serves no one but himself. The people he claims to help are only hurt by his obvious hatred for anyone but "minorities."
4. These days I wish I were a [insert any sexual preference but straight here] [insert any race other than white here] [insert any religion other than Catholic or Christian here]. That would automatically put me at the top of everyone's cool list. I would even get special laws to protect me. And I could work for Toyota and special recognition from a racist magazine. That would be cool.
Autoblog, you suck.
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Arnie 11:09PM (6/15/2006)
I'm thinking about starting a new mag: "White Enterprise" about white entrepreneurs. You have to be white to make it on the front page. Ohh shit no, I can't do that!!!! That would be racist! Shit!
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Ferguson McSqueege 11:55PM (6/15/2006)
I know this is a bit off topic, but how is this not a racist magazine?
What would happen if white guys created a magazine called "White Enterprise"?
I tell you, there needs to be a white "Jesse Jackson" to give the real Jesse Jackson a taste of his own medicine.
First on the agenda: White Entertainment Television!!!
;D
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Robert Vitalis 12:04AM (6/16/2006)
What 'unity' are you talking about, Eric! White unity? What's wrong with a company seeking employees of different backgrounds who can approach problems differently and solve them with unique skill built upon their varied experiences? I think YOU are the real racist who wants everyone to assimilate to one type of identity and ignore any culture other than "American". If these companies weren't called upon their lack of representation they wouldn’t hire people of color, although they spend tons of money to procure “colored” dollars. I wish special laws protected those girls who died in burned churches less than 50 years ago or special laws to those who had dogs attacking them and hose turned on them for just wanting the right to vote. I just guess that’s also just ‘special recognition’. You don’t need special laws to protect the likes of you, you have all laws written to protect you.
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Robert Vitalis 12:10AM (6/16/2006)
Any group of African-Americans that work to promote and support themselves and their self-determination are racists? What jobs or institutions do they deny white people entry? How many Caucasians do they imprison or refuse to grant mortgages or business loans to? If you look on any channel on television except the WB or UPN I can watch “White Entertainment Television” all day long. You have “white” Jesse Jacksons like President Bush who levels whole republics for the interest of Caucasian men. SO don’t complain about a magazine that celebrates a little non-effectual political impact that Toyota decided to hire a few Black Wharton and Harvard business school grads who probably over-qualified for the positions they were underpaid for anyway.
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Jimbo 12:22AM (6/16/2006)
"Any group of African-Americans that work to promote and support themselves and their self-determination are racists?"
Just as the group like the KKK that work to promote and support themselves and their self-determination are racists.
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ryumo 1:17AM (6/16/2006)
Let me know when staffers from Black Enterprise Magazine drag a white guy behind a truck, or hang him from a tree in the interest of "supporting themselves and self determination" and then you might actually have a point, Jimbo.
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tekdemon 1:57AM (6/16/2006)
The assumption is that the regular enterprise magazines are already white enterprise magazines even if they're not explicitly named that way. If you really think about it, most of the CEOs and executives out there are already white, so it'd be kinda silly to make a magazine called White Business.
I do see what the point is that you guys are trying to say, but the truth is that there *ARE* white targeted magazines!!!
There's:
Irish America Magazine
Irish Connections
Greek America Magazine
Greek American
The Atlantic Times (focuses on German stuff)
European Weekly
Das Fenster (German)
France Amerique (French in America magazine)
etc, etc, etc.
It's fairly ridiculous to pick on Black Enterprise like it's the only ethnic targeted magazine in the universe, lol. I'm sure you don't want to read about the same things other people want to read about-would you EVER read a magazine that always wrote about Asian-American stuff if you weren't Asian-American?
So to sum up, there *are* white targeted magazines. And although I only listed a few above, there's a LOT more. Plus like I pointed out, most magazines already have mostly american white people in them, so it's kinda silly to have a magazine that has to spell it out on the cover. You just kinda take it for granted because you're white, so you find it weird that there's a magazine filled with black people in it, but if you were black you'd usually be staring at white faces if you read normal magazines, so only by reading a black targeted magazine would you see black faces a lot.
You can say that the regular magazines have black people in them too, just not as often as white people. But that means that you're assuming that the Black magazines NEVER have white people in them, which isn't true either, they just *mostly* have black people in them.
Now as far as unity goes, I'd love it if we all could read magazines that covered stuff for all of us once in a while. But the problem is that if a magazine tried to cater to everybody in america from Nascar fans to Atlantic readers to black entrepeneurs to wrestling fans at the SAME time it'd be one crazy magazine that wouldn't sell a copy.
It's not like the people who read Black Entrepeneur ONLY read that one magazine lol. If you read a few magazines you can kinda cater your reading selection to your tastes, so it's not some huge deal that Black Enterprise isn't something you'd read, nobody expects you to!
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WillDaThrill 2:33AM (6/16/2006)
Some of you guys just don't get it. We get a magazine called black enterprise and all of a sudden it's racism. Do you guys even listen to yourselfs? Who is the real racist here?
Let me break it down for all the white guys that feel they don't get their fair share in life:
1. The caucasians have been dominating world finances for centuries.
2. When MTV first came out, did you hear use bitching about the rock only play and the corny cross-over pop songs? No, some successfull black, white, asian and latinos got together and helped put BET together. Besides, MTV noticed the revenue R&B and Rap was pulling in and they crossed over. Don't get mad at us because you lost that, get mad at them.
3. It's not our fault they didn't think to make a White History Day, WET, White Enterprise or White Tail. If they weren't such assholes, liars and undercover racists (now and in the past) maybe people would welcome White Pride holidays. Then you have your skinheads and wanna-be Nazi's who ruin the whole white pride thing; they turn it into a get out of our country thing. Need I remind you who this country used to belong to or who's backs this country was built on?
4. Washinton/Lincoln B-day, Independence Day, Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving Day, Columbus Day, Flag Day, Valentine's Day, St. Patricks Day, Labor Day, Holloween, Presidents Day..........should I go on? I mean really, do we need another white accomplishment day? You mean you guys aren't comfortable enough with these holidays you made up? Oh sure Christmas and Easter have been around for centuries, but who came up with the jolly white guy and fluffy white bunnies?
You want everything to be all white? Fine. Have fun with that. It's just so funny. Being in the military, I get to go to other countries and hear about how they hate white Americans and how cool they are with other ethnicities (so many people can't be wrong).
I can't believe that you guys are still the domineering power in this country and you whine about little shit like this. Sounds like racism is being moved over by fear.
Damn you guys got my black ass riled up, I'm gonna go bone my caucasian wife so I can cool down.
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Mike G 3:24AM (6/16/2006)
My main quarrel is with the plural "America's Top Black Designers" - isn't there only one black car designer, Ralph Gilles of Chrysler 300 fame? Name another one please.
Or shouldn't they have just said "Top Black Design" - we all assume they're American, it's not like blacks in Africa are designing anything except stick huts, or maybe spear heads. I suspect you have to be literate and know what a computer is to design anything significant nowadays.
I agree Jesse Jackson is a rat.
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getreal 3:53AM (6/16/2006)
Mike G
You should read the article genuis. Six are mentioned in the article but there are alot more then that. Wow! I am shocked at the comments that I am reading here. Kind of depressing. Welcome to cracker-ville!
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Gil 6:19AM (6/16/2006)
Man... you blacks simply hate whites. And vice-versa.
Christmas and Halloween are white-pride holidays?
O_o
I'm not american but there's something wrong with both camps here
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djbango 6:30AM (6/16/2006)
everytime race comes into play on this board, things fall apart quickly. There are magazines like Black Enterprise, so that Africian Americans can progress towards self determination. The same people who complain about these "racist" magazines, are the same who complain about black dependancy on the government agencies. Go figure
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