Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, Exp
Search every verified Christopher Lacy interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. In a September 2020 interview, Christopher Lacy discussed systemic racism, describing it as "designed to oppress a group of people from an economic perspective." He argued that businesses would have recognized the economic power of Black, Latinx, and LGBTQ communities if they had properly analyzed demographics. Lacy cited Colgate's dental care initiative in South America as an example of a company increasing market share by addressing community health. He also addressed the concept of defunding the police, stating that the idea it means dismantling police is "crazy" and noted that similar pushback did not occur when educational and social programs were defunded. Lacy reflected on his personal experience with assimilation, saying he "did a really good job of assimilating" and did not "truly rediscovered my blackness until I was in my late 20s early 30s." He emphasized the importance of teaching people to "slow down and connect with who they are" and advocated for recognizing multiple forms of intellect. Lacy described the COVID-19 pandemic as a time of opportunity, noting he pivoted learning outcomes online and created a podcast to give students access to experts. He stated that education is the "biggest actionable step" to address systemic issues.
“Systematic racism has always been designed to oppress a group of people from an economic perspective, and the bigger issue as to why movement hasn't happened on this is because everyone thinks it's about something that's social and community, which it is, but it's really an economical thing.”
“If any business really did market reporting the way they should and looked at demographics, they would have seen long ago the power of the Black community, the Latinx community, and the LGBTQ community, all of which have disposable incomes and growing earning potential.”
“Colgate went into South America and put together dental care kits for people, understanding that by giving people health, it made them healthier and far more consumer aware, which increased their market share based on community and economy, not just social factors.”
“Defunding the police is misunderstood; the idea that it means dismantling police is crazy. People didn't make a big deal when educational and social programs were defunded, but now there's pushback on police funding, which is a huge portion of the issue.”
“If you make sure that there's money going into neighborhoods appropriately and equitably, then everything else happens because children will grow smarter and be part of the show as respectful young adults.”
“Most Black people, when engaging with white people, have in the back of their mind that they might be racist, but it's their level of professionalism that helps determine how racist they might be. If people behaved professionally, racism wouldn't have a place in professional atmospheres.”
“The conversation about racism changes when you realize the actual cost of racism in social programs, business development, and corporate environments, because people care about money more than anything else.”
“When you tell people what you want to have happen instead of what you don't want, you get clarity and better results. For example, in Texas, changing the message from 'Don't drive drunk' to 'Drive sober' led to better compliance.”
“Whenever there's a crisis, a crisis brings opportunity. During the pandemic, I was fortunate to pivot learning outcomes online and create a podcast giving students access to experts they otherwise wouldn't have.”
“The biggest actionable step to address systemic issues starts with education, even if people are upset about ideas like defunding the police, because education shapes future opportunities and outcomes.”
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