Guest Contributor: On Juneteenth — Progress, But More To Go

By: Devin Hampton, CEO of UtilityAPI, co-founder of EDICT, and board member of CE4A

Juneteenth is a moment to look back, look around, look forward, and think carefully about equity in America. 

We know that diversity makes us stronger. At UtilityAPI, the diversity of our leadership team allows us to make smarter decisions. I’ve talked about this before—our different backgrounds give us different perspectives and approaches. We help each other, guide each other, and check each other. We can build on the strongest of our strengths and bridge the gaps any single team member may have because of our diversity. Our diversity has helped us grow, I’m certain.

And, we’re not the only company committed to this belief. In 2020, I co-founded the Empowering Diverse Climate Talent (EDICT) Internship Program, now entering its second year, and it’s doing fantastic. This year, over 60 EDICT interns, most from communities of color, are working at climate tech companies. They’re getting exposure to the field, opportunities to learn new skills, and readiness to take over as our industry's next leaders.

However, just because our industry has made steps doesn’t mean we’re done, or that we’re where we need to be when it comes to equity and inclusion. There is still a lot of work to do. 

Around two years ago, I posted on LinkedIn about the troubling lack of diversity in clean energy. Since then, I’ve seen our industry take steps towards real representation for black and brown people in leadership. But we still need more. Our field remains overwhelmingly white and male, especially at the top levels. I’d love to hear more white leaders join the chorus of largely black and brown voices calling for this change. And taking concrete action to make it happen. 

Words aren’t enough. Just talking about increasing diversity does nothing. Strong leaders at the highest levels of our industry need to take action — real action. That means making a commitment to recruiting, hiring, and promoting black and brown employees for positions at all levels in clean energy.

Clean energy can’t be for every community if it doesn’t also reflect every community. As disability activists say: nothing about us without us.  

Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in America. It’s a reminder that our better angels can defeat our baser evils, that equity can overcome, and progress is possible – but also, that nothing happens by accident. We must make the change happen. That’s what I’m committed to doing alongside many of my colleagues in the industry. The work isn’t done. We know the benefits of diversity and equity. We know what it will take to meet the moment. Let’s get to work.