NEW YORK (AP) — Many top U.S. companies have rushed to appoint Black members to their boards of directors in the wake of the racial justice protests that swept the country last year. But in the two years preceding the protests, progress on bringing racial diversity to boards had stagnated, a new study revealed Tuesday. The Board Diversity Census, conducted by the Alliance of Board Diversity and the consulting firm Deloitte, points to the steep deficit companies face when it comes to fulfilling pledges to diversity their ranks. An overwhelming 82.5% of directors among Fortune 500 company boards are white. The census suggests that, until last year, attention to racial diversity took something of a backseat to gender equality in boardrooms.
