About Session
This session was previously called: “From Collective Action to Co-Creation: Building a Movement-Aligned Shareholder Strategy for Systemic Accountability.”
In this moment of escalating systemic risk—from authoritarianism and climate crisis to technological militarization and widening inequality—shareholder advocacy must evolve. The task before us is not only to resist immediate harms but also to recognize what this moment reveals about the shortcomings of past approaches. By learning from what we have missed, we can leverage this critical juncture to design a more just and sustainable future.
Taking a system-level approach to investing requires moving beyond diversification across asset classes, products, or companies. It also means diversifying who holds power in investment processes—expanding opportunities for diverse managers, advisors, and investment committees to shape strategies. Risk management in a vacuum, disconnected from impact, is insufficient. Shareholder advocacy must be deployed in service of a comprehensive systemic view that integrates both financial and social outcomes.
A racial justice lens is especially critical, as the legacy of today’s capital markets remains deeply anchored in racial capitalism. Without centering racial justice, investors risk reinforcing the very inequities and systemic risks they aim to address. This session will examine how RJI and its partners are advancing system-level investing to align portfolios with mission and values, embedding racial justice, and elevating shareholder advocacy as a tool for collective intervention, moral clarity, and cross-movement solidarity.
