The cover treatment of this issue of Canadian auto dealer was an inspired idea from the publisher, Niel Hiscox. And it was a good one.
Even in the midst of a global health crisis, there are other major forces reshaping our conversations and our understanding of the world around us. One of those forces centres around our understanding of racial equality, diversity, and fair opportunities.
As the auto industry looks to recover from the economic setback of COVID-19 — and by industry I mean OEMs, dealerships, suppliers and media — we have a unique opportunity to rebuild our teams with a new look — one that better reflects our communities and our customers.
Not only is it the right thing to do, it’s the right time to do it.
Racial bias is a complex issue, and not one I pretend to fully understand. But we can all become more self-aware.
As we were preparing this issue, for example, I did a rough estimate on the race or ethnicity of the people featured in the photos in this magazine. By my rough math, more than 80 per cent of the writers and people featured in photos and advertisements were white. That includes photos or images that only include hands.
We can do a better job.
Those types of biases are unconscious and unplanned, but reflect our own lack of awareness that our choices in what we depict are communicating more than we realize.
Stock photo libraries have improved the diversity of the images they sell to media and advertisers. They too could do better at ensuring these images truly reflect the automotive industry.
We’ll do better and make better choices.
I’d like to think that a young person picking up an issue of Canadian auto dealer will be able to flip through and see himself — or herself — in our pages, and feel good about choosing this industry as a career.
I’d like to think anyone flipping through our pages will see the depiction of an industry that is filled with people of all races, ages, genders and backgrounds.
Because the people I meet in dealerships as customers, and their staff, and the people I meet and work with from OEMs and suppliers really do reflect the amazing diversity of our country.
We’ll do a better job ensuring we aren’t unconsciously reinforcing images that present the industry as anything but welcoming and open to all Canadians regardless of race.
It may be true that our industry needs to look in the mirror and ask the same types of tough questions. But that’s a topic for another day.
We will start with what we can do right now, and that started with the cover of this issue to get us all to think, and then act.
