The competition sees students from universities across the US work in teams to create impactful corporate action plans for companies looking to address racism and structural inequities.
Teams pitch their ideas to business leaders from Fortune 500 companies, competing to be among the top three finalists. The cash prize is split 50-50 with a nonprofit organization tackling racial injustice.
Since the formation of the competition in 2020, students have created 36 corporate racial justice action plans. Students from top business schools including Harvard Business School, The Wharton School, and Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, have previously competed.
“This competition provides a platform for student leaders to influence how organizations think about their businesses in ways that can improve racial equality,” says Lynne Segall, JLCC faculty advisor and associate dean of Management Practice Initiatives at Emory.
The competition garners sponsorship from leading companies, including Accenture, IBM, and Delta, who have previously supported the event.
“Given our location in Atlanta, Georgia, the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement, we draw inspiration from the history of social change driven by icons like U.S. Congressman John R. Lewis,” says Lynne.
Past recipients of the prize have included organizations such as the National Black Leadership Commission on Health and GirlTrek—a public health movement aimed at Black women.
The idea behind the competition came from Willie Sullivan—an MBA grad from the Goizueta Business School class of 2021. The then MBA student wanted to find a way for his peers to address racism and structural inequities alongside corporations.
The competition’s name honors the late John R. Lewis—a civil rights activist and Congressman representing Georgia’s 5th District.
Students can register their teams until the closing deadline of November 17, 2023, with semi-finals and finals to take place in Atlanta in February 2024.
