Ana C. Mendez is an operations analyst and board chair of the Black Professionals Group at Bank of America. Mendez talks with Providence Business News about the professional group, what the bank is doing to recognize Black History Month and what the industry could do better to promote racial diversity.
PBN: Can you tell our readers a little bit about yourself and what you do for Bank of America?
MENDEZ: My name is Ana C. Mendez and I’ve been with the bank for eight years. I started as a customer service representative and am currently an operations analyst for the employee expense reimbursement team within accounts payable.
PBN: What is the Bank of America Black Professionals Group and what role do you play in it?
MENDEZ: The Black Professionals Group has more than 11,000 members globally including employees with ties to African-American, West Indian, Caribbean and African heritages. BPG’s mission is to help make employees’ lives better through the power of inclusion. Our goal is to serve the needs of all employees in Rhode Island by promoting an environment that celebrates our diversity.
We provide employees with opportunities to learn and explore the history of other cultures, acquire new skills and connect with senior leaders from all different walks of life. As the current board chair, my role is to ensure that our mission is exemplified through every interaction. Bank of America employee networks provide us with the platform to speak about diversity and as the chairperson, I feel it is my responsibility to showcase the company’s values to the best of my ability.
PBN: Is the group doing anything special for Black History Month?
MENDEZ: For Black History Month we are hosting a Lunch and Learn that will include the viewing of a “Lynching in America” documentary. The documentary will explore the history of lynching and the lasting effects that it has had on impacted families and proceeding generations. From this event, we hope to elicit courageous conversations on black history, as well as our own unconscious biases and how they may influence our current environment.
Additionally, we plan to end Black History Month with a poetry event. During this poetry event there will be approximately six poems read by various volunteers. We invite everyone to join us and listen to various inspirational poems about hope, strength and overall unity. Some of the poems will be written by volunteers and others by known authors such as Maya Angelou.
PBN: Do you see racial diversity in banking as an issue facing the industry? If so, why? If not, why not?
MENDEZ: In general terms, there is definitely a noticeable gap facing the industry; especially when I start to look at upper-management levels. I remember reading a Businessweek article where they mentioned that black executives make up no more than 3 percent of top positions within the top four banks. If one were to really stop and think about the employee population at these banks, it is an extremely small percentage.
Aside from the lack of a minority presence in upper-management roles, it is also an issue of having so many people from different backgrounds that may not have mutual understanding. Thus, the problem may stem from not fostering an environment of inclusion and culture appreciation. We all come from different places where we may or may not have been exposed to different cultures or lifestyles, but we all want to be appreciated.
PBN: How do you think the industry could do a better job to promote racial diversity?
MENDEZ: Bank of America has employee networks that encourage participating employees to voice their opinions. Although there are still areas of opportunity, I think we have taken great strides to overcome these challenges.
As an industry, better work can be done by not just speaking about diversity but actually acting on it. Saying that diversity is important to you but not incorporating it into the company’s root pillars and culture is not a true way to embrace diversity. The industry should make a purposeful effort to understand the concerns of all of their employees.
By practicing emotional intelligence, we become cognizant of when and how certain things can be offensive to a particular race or group. At the same time, it brings awareness of how a diverse workforce can actually improve productivity. We all have unconscious biases but ultimately want a workplace where we all have the same opportunities and feel accepted regardless of our cultures and backgrounds.
Eli Sherman is a PBN staff writer. Email him at Sherman@PBN.com, or follow him on Twitter @Eli_Sherman.
