Small Steps, Big Impact 

Target plans to spend $2 billion with Black-owned businesses through year-end 2025. Nike set aside $40 million to advance social justice and racial equality. Kohl’s $20 million commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts includes a pledge to triple its spend with diverse suppliers by 2025.

Eyecare professionals without that kind of coin can still join the movement, says Diana Canto-Sims, O.D., founder of Chicago’s Buena Vista Optical, co-founder of nonprofit LEO (Latinos en Optometry), member of The Vision Council’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force, and member of the Transitions Optical Diversity Advisory Board.

Small, mindful changes in how a practice operates, not just megabucks, can have a positive impact on the cause.

Why now? DEI is not new, but the past two years triggered introspection on two major fronts: The pandemic caused people to reassess personal and professional priorities. Meanwhile, racial injustice dominated headlines and minority-owned businesses struggled to stay afloat due to pandemic-induced disruption and all-out racial hate. Many began to wonder: Am I being complacent in all of this?

“Diversity, inclusion, and a sense of belonging were talked about more with the events that happened,” Dr. Canto-Sims says. “It helped me take a step back in my practice to analyze: Why are we doing this? Do we need to continue doing this?” She made a list of Buena Vista’s suppliers to explore whether changing to local and minority-owned partners could benefit the practice and community.

“Doctors may think: ‘It’s a lot of work. It’s not broke. Don’t fix it. I don’t have time,’ but there are little things you can do that’s not more work, like the local coffee shop,” Dr. Canto-Sims says.

JAVA THAT’S JUST

Opting for morning coffee or pizza from an independent, minority-owned shop rather than a national chain is an easy way to jump-start the process of building a diverse supplier roster, supporting small business, and keeping dollars in the local economy, she shares.

CLEANERS THAT ARE KIND

Buena Vista stopped sourcing cleaning products from Costco and instead patronizes a local, woman-owned business that sells and delivers Earth-friendly supplies at comparable prices. Next up: payroll. Merely entertaining alternate service providers gave Buena Vista leverage with its current provider to obtain a 50% cost reduction.

“Take a moment to sit down and look at all your vendors. If you can give your business to a company that’s LGBTQ+ or owned by people of color, that’s great,” she says.

Many new businesses have sprung up so there may be options available today that weren’t around last year. Supplier diversity extends beyond just race and gender to include veteran-owned businesses, micro enterprises, and organizations that are vastly underutilized and in need of opportunity.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest Annual Business Survey, 18.7% of U.S. businesses with at least one employee are minority-owned, 20.9% are owned by women, and 5.7% are veteran-owned. The number of Black-owned businesses grew 8% in a year’s time.

Dr. Canto-Sims’ diversity and inclusion campaign started not with suppliers but people. While interviewing prospective employees, she’d say, “All are welcome here,” noting the job candidate’s reaction.

“You could see in their face a sense of relief, that ‘Oh, you are accepting of who I am. I can be my true self?’ I’d say, ‘Absolutely!’” Three staff members ultimately came out about their sexual orientation—to co-workers at Buena Vista—before doing so to family.

“The job became kind of that haven, a place where they can excel at great customer service because they felt like they could be themselves. They were happier.”