ACTION

Here are some of the actions we are taking to ensure racism has no place at Southern Company. All actions have one goal – to achieve equity and equality.

My personal story, perspective on racial injustice

Southern Company Gas Director of Strategic Communications, Fredie Carmichael, shares a personal experience about when he recognized his white privilege during a routine traffic stop and some ways that white people can be better allies..

Our voice is important during this time. We cannot be silent, we cannot be bystanders. This is something that’s happening to all of us and until we view it that way there’s not going to be real change.

Fredie Carmichael, Southern Company Gas, Director of Strategic Communications

Education and workforce

Southern Company pledges $50 million to historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). This multi-year initiative will provide students with scholarships, internships, leadership development and access to technology and innovation to support career readiness.

Southern Company’s initiative is a tribute to the legacy of HBCUs as difference-makers for the American workforce. With this investment, we aim to foster a generation of graduates ready to disrupt industries and offer solutions to address the needs of our changing world.

Chris Womack, Southern Company EVP and vice president of external affairs

Civic engagement

Georgia Power joined other Georgia-based companies in supporting a comprehensive hate crimes bill to ensure the safety of all Georgians. Under the new law, which was passed by the Georgia Legislature and signed by Gov. Brian Kemp, judges can impose harsher sentences against those who target victims based on perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender, mental disability or physical disability.

Racism, intolerance or discrimination of any kind have no place in our communities or our company. We stand united with these companies as we commit to finding solutions to help make our communities better for every citizen and create an inclusive environment for everyone.

Paul Bowers, Georgia Power chairman, president and CEO

Mississippi Power President and CEO Anthony Wilson led a charge with more than 100 state business and industry leaders to urge legislators to remove the Confederate battle emblem from the state flag. The flag was officially retired in June and voters will select a new flag from several options later this year.

Our state flag should bring us together and not divide us. The former state flag, in addition to being divisive, remains an impediment to our pursuit of economic development and job creation. It also perpetuates perceptions of our state we continually seek to overcome. We need to move forward with a new flag that unites us and welcomes everyone.

Anthony Wilson, Mississippi Power, president and CEO

Employee engagement

One of the ways we engage and support our employees is through employee resource groups (ERGs). VOICE (Valuing Openness, Inclusion, Community and Education) is an African American employee resource with a mission to create and sustain an inclusive work environment that supports the recruitment, development and retention of African American employees.

We have a responsibility to make sure that when we deliver these messages, when we deliver these conversations that they don’t come across as if we’re pushing an African-American point of view, but that we make sure we’re inclusive and that we’re inviting and that we are open to not only deliver a message but to hear a message.

Robin Pierce, VOICE president

Community engagement

The goal of our community engagement always has been and always will be to make the communities better because we are there. For us, engagement comes in the form of volunteering and investing. Below are some examples of how we are engaging and making a difference.

As a company, we are pledging to act. We will redouble our ongoing efforts to improve relations between all members of the communities where we live and work. As leaders, we must continue to demonstrate this commitment through not only our words but also our actions.

Southern Company Management Council

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

Alabama Power Foundation has provided more than $1.4 million in funding to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. In 2019, the foundation gave a $50,000 grant to support the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute’s educational, community engagement and public programs. Funding supported engaging and informative interactions in schools, neighborhoods, parks, as well as within the Institute itself, including its digital space online and in archival resources.

Center for Civil and Human Rights

Reflect. Inspire. Transform. The National Center for Civil and Human Rights harnesses Atlanta’s legacy of civil rights to strengthen the worldwide movement for human rights. Atlanta played a unique leadership role in the American Civil Rights Movement. Through harnessing Atlanta’s legacy and galvanizing the corporate, faith-based, public-sector and university communities, The Center serves as the ideal place to reflect on the past, transform the present and inspire the future.

Congressional Black Caucus Foundation

The mission of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. (CBCF) is to advance the global black community by developing leaders, informing policy and educating the public.

Equal Justice Initiative

The Equal Justice Initiative is committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.

The Mississippi Ministerial Alliance

The organization holds job skills readiness training sessions, job fairs and other programs for the minority community. It’s currently holds community meetings to discuss race relations and promote racial harmony among government, law enforcement and minority communities.

National Black Arts Festival

National Black Arts Festival (NBAF) is a nonprofit organization with a legacy of providing stellar artistic and educational programs in music, dance, film, visual arts, theater and the literary arts to foster world where the contributions of artists of African descent are celebrated, integrated and elevated.

National Museum of African American History and Culture

The only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history and culture. It was established by Act of Congress in 2003, following decades of efforts to promote and highlight the contributions of African Americans. The Museum opened to the public on September 24, 2016, as the 19th and newest museum of the Smithsonian Institution.

National Urban League

The National Urban League is a historic civil rights organization dedicated to economic empowerment, equality and social justice. Founded in 1910 and headquartered in New York City, the Urban League collaborates at the national and local levels with community leaders, policymakers and corporate partners to elevate the standards of living for African Americans and other historically underserved groups.

Posse Foundation

The Posse model works for both students and college campuses and is rooted in the belief that a small, diverse group of talented students—a Posse—carefully selected and trained, can serve as a catalyst for individual and community development.

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

The Alabama Power Foundation has invested more than $400,000 in the SCLC to support programming for the Alabama Poor People’s Campaign’s efforts to educate and engage communities across the state of Alabama in the topics of civic engagement and civil rights history.