Historical Case Study

Chapter 1 examines how companies engaged in forms of race-conscious image construction in an earlier context. The chapter first describes early federal government efforts in the 1940s that, while mostly unsuccessful, laid the groundwork nonetheless for the version of race-conscious image construction that companies undertook in the 1960s, including the systematic disclosure of information demonstrating attention to addressing racial segregation and discrimination before the advent of digital print and online disclosures. It explores partnerships between the federal government and companies during John F. Kennedy’s presidency, showing how the processes employed through this program helped corporations to establish their public images on race at the time. The chapter establishes that there was already a pattern, before 2020, for companies to use disclosures about race in ways that serve their own financial and reputational interests.