At the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, the annual gathering of creatives and advertising elite, HP Chief Marketing Officer Antonio Lucio recounted a meeting with famed Civil Rights leader, politician and Baptist minister Rev. Jesse Jackson.
Lucio asked Jackson what lessons from the Civil Rights Movement could apply to today’s cross-industry push for diversity in the arts, journalism, business and technology. Jackson answered: “During the Civil Rights Movement, beautiful and inspiring words were always followed by bold action,” Lucio recalled.
Jackson’s words had left an impression.
As he kicked off a panel on the topic of “Diversity: A values issue and a business imperative,” Lucio drew a parallel to the reckoning happening in newsrooms, on movie sets and in boardrooms across America. “What we are here to do today is talk about bold action,” he said in front of an audience of nearly 2,000 people on the Cannes Lions Mainstage.