In 1971, Reverend Leon H. Sullivan was appointed to the Board of Directors of General Motors, becoming the first African-American to serve on the board of a major corporation. When he was approached about serving on the board, Sullivan hesitated. He was concerned that his acceptance might compromise his work for civil rights.
After talking with his wife, Grace, and some civil rights leaders, however, he realized that his acceptance would place him in a better position to promote social justice. If he could effect change in one major corporation, perhaps his ideas would spread to other businesses in the United States.
Sullivan did not know when he joined the board of General Motors that he would be afforded an opportunity to move an incredible mountain—apartheid in South Africa. Apartheid was the legal separation of blacks and whites in South Africa that became formalized in a declaration of Grand Apartheid in 1948.
Six years after joining the board of General Motors, Sullivan developed the Sullivan Principles, which became an international standard for businesses operating throughout the world. The Principles stated that whites and nonwhites working in American companies operating in South Africa had to share eating and work facilities and had to have fair and equal job opportunities. The Principles also stated that companies had to increase the number of nonwhites in supervisory roles and work to improve the quality of employees' lives outside the workplace.
In the beginning, 12 companies agreed
to enforce the six principles. The initial
12 signatory companies were: General Motors,
IBM, Mobil, Ford, CalTex, Union Carbide,
Otis Elevator, Burroughs, 3M, American
Cyanamid, Citibank and International Harvester.
The same humanitarian goals that Sullivan
had fought to achieve in the United States
were taken to an international level.
By 1984 more than 100 companies adopted the Principles. It was then that Sullivan added a seventh principle calling for businesses and government to work together to eliminate laws and customs that impeded social, economic and political justice. The final principle stated that apartheid had to be abolished within two years.
The seventh principle caused controversy. Some companies believed it went too far. They did not know if businesses should support a program that actively campaigned against a government and its laws. Sullivan became discouraged, but he did not waiver from his principles.
Ten years after the initiation of the Sullivan Principles, some gains had been made in the workplace for blacks in South Africa. However, the government of South Africa had not abolished apartheid.
On June 3, 1987, Sullivan called on United States companies to divest their businesses in South Africa. He also asked the United States government to enact an economic embargo of all imports and exports. He further asked Congress to consider imposing penalties against companies that traded with the United States, which continued to do business with South Africa. Finally, he asked the president of the United States to break all diplomatic relations with South Africa. Gradually, the U.S. government imposed stronger restrictions on trade with South Africa.
In ten months, 70 United States companies agreed to abide by the Principles, and the laws of apartheid began to crumble. In two years, statutory apartheid ended, and within three years all blacks in South Africa were given the right to vote. Sullivan's plan was a catalyst in leveling the walls of apartheid.
In 1990 Nelson Mandela, a black member of the African National Congress who led a movement to liberate South Africa from the chains of apartheid, was released from prison after 27 years. In 1994 Mandela was elected president of a free, democratic South Africa.
The Global Sullivan Principles of Social Responsibility, a voluntary code of conduct built on a vision of aspiration and inclusion, provides a framework by which socially responsible companies and organizations can be aligned. The Principles are inclusive in that they embrace existing codes of conduct and work in conjunction with them. The aspiration of the Principles is to have companies and organizations of all sizes, in widely disparate industries and cultures, working toward the common goals of human rights, social justice, protection of the environment and economic opportunity. These Principles are truly unique; they apply to all workers, in all industries, in all countries.
Reverend Leon H. Sullivan created the Global Sullivan Principles at the request of world and industry leaders, with input from a number of multinational corporations and business associations. Reverend Sullivan's vision was that of business working hand-in-hand with the community to advance social responsibility and the culture of peace. We urge companies, large and small, to endorse the Principles and make Reverend Sullivan’s vision a lasting reality.
Each endorser of the Global Sullivan Principles makes a commitment to work towards the aspiration that all of the Principles represent, within the laws and customs of each country where they have operations, including the implementation of internal policies, procedures, training and reporting structures.
The Global Sullivan Principles are intended to be strong in aspiration, yet flexible and relevant to all types of industries and cultures. We welcome comments and input from our endorsers and other interested parties.
back to top
