Disclosureland
Disclosureland
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USDThe 2020 murder of George Floyd sparked mass protests that challenged many institutions, including for-profit companies, to reflect on how to address racial inequality. Between 2020 and 2024, corporations made systematic public statements to show alignment with causes that impact people of color. Corporations also used those public statements to protect their financial reputations against claims that their businesses may perpetuate racial inequality. Then in 2024, in response to conservative pushback, corporations began to retract the public commitments they previously made. Disclosureland argues that this process and others – including rhetoric that leaves out past corporate involvement in racial inequality, using disclosures about race as evidence of action toward addressing racial inequality, or pulling back on disclosures about race in response to conservatives – constrain true racial progress. Even when corporations made pledges to hire and promote people of color or fund racial equity causes through philanthropy, the book demonstrates how these pledges functioned to limit corporate responsibility. Critical, corrective, and hopeful, Disclosureland calls on a future functioning federal government and corporate stakeholders to regulate corporate race-conscious words to achieve true racial progress.
- Analyzes the role and impact of words on racial progress
- Documents corporate responses to societal, shareholder, and stakeholder pressure to address societal concerns
- Provides a multi-institutional model of regulating corporate words about race
Reviews & endorsements
‘Disclosureland offers a bracing tonic against frothy corporate announcements of racial equity efforts. From Adediran the social scientist we learn that companies resist systemic change that might open opportunity, and paper over problems that customers and shareholders deserve to know about. From Adediran the lawyer we learn that governments could be demanding disclosures that could lead to real change. This book offers a trenchant, incisive analysis - and genuine hope.’ Frank Dobbin, Henry Ford II Professor of the Social Sciences, Harvard University
‘By examining the flood of corporate statements professing a commitment to racial equity made in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, Atinuke Adediran’s Disclosureland offers an unflinching assessment of how corporations opportunistically use race-conscious disclosure to bolster their reputation while strategically relying on such disclosures to avoid addressing racial inequity. Discslosureland is a long-overdue window into the interplay of corporate governance, public disclosure, and racial inequality. Discslosureland not only shines a critical spotlight on the downsides of disclosure but also represents a persuasive call to action for anyone concerned about creating a more just society.’ Lisa Fairfax, Presidential Professor of Law, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
‘In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, corporations vowed to stand for change. But did their words drive progress-or merely protect profits? Disclosureland reveals how corporations, through strategic public statements and disclosures, have crafted an image of race consciousness while constraining true racial progress. Examining case studies from Amazon, Walmart, and beyond, this groundbreaking book uncovers the mechanisms by which corporate words shape societal expectations, mask inequality, and sideline real change. A powerful call for accountability and systemic reform, Disclosureland challenges readers to rethink the role of corporations in addressing racial injustice.’ Angela Onwuachi-Willig, Dean and Ryan Roth Gallo Professor of Law, Boston University School of Law
Product details
January 2026Hardback
9781009442985
216 pages
229 × 152 mm
Not yet published - available from
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- 1. Historical Case Study of Race-Conscious Image Construction
- 2. Race-Conscious Disclosures, Image Construction, and Corporate Reputation
- 3. Racial Targets
- 4. Corporate Racial Philanthropy
- 5. Race-Conscious Retraction
- 6. Regulating Race-Conscious Disclosures and Retraction
- Conclusion.
