MISO made a rare foray into addressing political and social events Thursday when its CEO and board members condemned systemic racism and vowed to listen to minority employees in order to effect organizational change.

Board Chair Phyllis Currie said directors and executives had engaged in “considerable discussion” in a closed session about the “long-term disparate treatment of African Americans by the police and in the workforce.”

“These issues impact our employees, so in turn, they impact MISO,” Currie said during the virtual board meeting.

“Obviously, racism and prejudice still exist, and we need to eradicate them in all their forms,” Director Baljit Dail said.

“Obviously, we’ve all been shocked into realizing there’s so much more to do,” added Director Barbara Krumsiek. She said the board will be more open to adopting actions to assist MISO employees and go further in promoting diversity.

The board’s comments come about three weeks after Minneapolis resident George Floyd was killed while in police custody, galvanizing racial justice protests that have reverberated around the world.

During the meeting, Director Mark Johnson reflected on a recent blog post his daughter wrote on experiencing racism.

“Being an African American parent, you try to insulate them from the racism. But it’s unavoidable that anything you try to do, they will experience it,” Johnson said.

“It’s a community in pain right now,” CEO John Bear said of African Americans. Bear said MISO has recently instituted all-hands meetings discussing systemic racism and historical inequalities. He also said the RTO’s leaders plan to embark on “listening tours” inside the company.

Bear also lauded the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision granting protected class status to gay and transgender employees.

“I am proud of the diversity on our board and in our senior leadership. … But I think we can take that much further,” Bear said.

“This is not a flash; this is something we will press on,” he promised.