Burlington Stores’ Mecca Mitchell: 5 Steps We Must Take to Truly Create an Inclusive, Representative and Equitable Society
Raise the Cultural Intelligence of the individual and organization — I often tell people that it is not my job to create mini-DEI practitioners across an organization. It is also not my job to be present in every meeting or to have a seat at every table where important decisions are being made. It is my job to raise the collective cultural intelligence of those within an organization — leadership down to line staff — to ensure that they simply view the work they do every day through a DEI lense. In doing so the organization functions in a more welcoming, inclusive, and equitable manner.
As part of our series about ‘5 Steps We Must Take To Truly Create An Inclusive, Representative, and Equitable Society’ I had the pleasure to interview Mecca Mitchell, Esq.
Mecca Mitchell is the Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer at Burlington Stores, Inc. Burlington Stores is a national off-price retailer offering WOW deals on customers’ favorite brands for the entire family and home.
Mecca is responsible for leading efforts to create supportive and equitable institutional structures, fostering welcoming and inclusive environments, and cultivating a culture that leverages diversity, inclusion, and equity best practices to drive business objectives, while responding to the diverse needs of its workforce, its customers, and the communities it serves. Prior to this position, she served as the Senior Vice President of Diversity, Inclusion & Community Engagement for the Westchester Medical Center Health Network, the Chief Diversity Officer for the State of New York, Executive Director of Equal Employment Opportunity & Diversity Management for the New York City Department of Education, and as an Assistant District Attorney in the New York County (Manhattan) District Attorney’s Office.
Mrs. Mitchell holds certifications from Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations in Diversity Management and Equal Employment Opportunity Studies. Mrs. Mitchell, who is licensed to practice law in both New York and New Jersey, graduated from Hofstra University’s School of Law in June 2000 and is a graduate of the State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany, where she double majored in Criminal Justice and Political Science.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to ‘get to know you’. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
As the middle child of four children, I suffered from middle child syndrome which explains my passion around advocacy and giving voice to the voiceless. I grew up in a household of hard workers, my mother as a schoolteacher and father as a manager at a power plant, and they instilled in me and my siblings that a life of contribution was a life well-lived. My parents were constantly reminding us that it didn’t matter how much money you made, what your job title was, or the size of your home. What mattered was whether you were leading a righteous life — righteous in your thoughts and actions. And let me clarify, righteous was not the same as always being right. I was also posed the questions; “did you try to help someone else?”, “are you working to make the world, even the small part of it, a better place?”, “are you doing the right thing even when no one is watching?” In my family there was always room for mistakes, which led to growth, development, and introspection. I wasn’t shielded from the world, instead I was being prepare for the world. Being raised in a family where we were free from the weight of materialism and unrealistic expectations allowed my siblings and I to chart our own respective courses living lives that are uniquely our own. It is the best gift my parents ever gave me.
Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have by Mark Nepo changed my life and the trajectory of my career many years ago. While going through tremendous personal changes — a difficult divorce, adapting to a new role as a single mother of two — and also running the New York City civil rights office, I found myself reeling physically, mentally, and emotionally. I stumbled upon this book by accident, seeing an open bookstore while walking to my car one day and plucking the first self-help book that caught my eye. I randomly flipped to a page which spoke to a story about a young monk who wanted to know the secret to life and happiness. The monk approached an older monk, posed the questions, and was directed by the older monk to drink a glass of water with a handful of salt in it. After completing the distasteful task, the older monk then directed the young monk to a nearby lake, where he threw another handful of salt in the lake and directed the young monk to drink from the lake. This time, the lake water was refreshing and invigorating. The older monk then proclaimed, “… and here you have the key to life and happiness. Don’t be the glass, be the lake!” In life, there will always be salt, but the key is to make yourself bigger — that way the salt has less of an impact on you. Since then, I’ve embarked on a number of personal and professional experiences, that have shaped my life immensely. It has been almost 10 years since I walked into that bookstore, and each time I find myself in a difficult situation where I need a source of strength, I remind myself “Mecca, don’t be the glass, be the lake!”
Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life or your work?
One of my favorite quotes is “I am my ancestors’ wildest dreams…”, which sent a chill down my spine the first time I read it. I was incredibly moved thinking about all that I have accomplished professionally throughout the different seasons of my life, and it made me reflect that the path to my success was paved by the sacrifices my ancestors made for survival. I stand proudly on the shoulders of all those who came before me and recognize that this sentiment is directly tied to the work I do advocating for DEI — ensuring equal opportunities, analyzing programs, processes, and systems for equity considerations, and guaranteeing everyone has access to the tools they need to be successful. I am propelled by history, convicted in purpose, and intend to leave a legacy of contribution by helping future generations achieve in ways that far exceed even my wildest dreams.
How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
One of my team members recently stated that leadership is both a noun and a verb, noting that many leaders become comfortable with the leadership title, but forget to engage in the active part of leadership. As leadership models have evolved over time, organizations are now seeking out inclusive leaders that can embrace the changing landscape of work. Rapidly changing demographics of the future workforce, coupled with evolving expectations and motivations of employees, require that leaders have enhanced cultural intelligence. Their job is to create a psychologically safe environment where individuals can contribute, share their voice, and openly innovate. Today’s leaders need to set a vision for their team and organizations that are both inspirational and aspirational in nature. Leadership titles alone will not accomplish this, only true action will help propel an organization forward.
As a busy leader, what do you do to prepare your mind and body before a stressful or high stakes meeting, talk, or decision? Can you share a story or some examples?
Ahead of important meetings, speaking engagements, or presentations, I find music is a great motivator. Since I was younger, I have sourced my strength from diverse genres. From listening to my Walkman before a big track meet in high school, to my iPod while waiting to give my closing argument to a jury when I was trying cases or blasting Google assistant in my home to create a safe haven for remote work — music has remained a steady constant and continues to feed my soul.
In the summer of 2020, the United States faced a very important self-reckoning about race, diversity, equality and inclusion. This is of course a huge topic. But briefly, can you share your view on what made the events of 2020 different from racial reckonings in the past?
The events of 2020 were transformative for many reasons, one being the confluence of so many life-altering events. From the Me Too Movement, which was still reverberating when we were blindside by a worldwide pandemic, only to be followed by the murder of George Floyd which exposed some of the ugly realities about race, power and privilege, and the country as a whole spent a year reeling — emotionally, physically, and socially. Unlike other times, people were forced to pause and reflect in a way they never had to before because many people weren’t distracted by work, or school, or vacations and busy social lives. Many of us were captive to our technology and every time you turned on the television, scrolled through social media, read a publication — DEI, race, and gender identity were at the forefront.
Can you tell our readers a bit about your experience working with initiatives to promote Diversity and Inclusion? Can you share a story with us?
My journey into DEI is not as traditional as my peers. My career began in law as a sex crimes, violent crimes, and child abuse crimes prosecutor in New York City which allowed me to engage in advocacy and fight for justice. From there, I took an opportunity to take over the civil rights office for the New York City Department of Education — the largest school system in the country. I went from challenging criminal matters, to investigating sexual harassment and discrimination cases. And while the content was slightly different, the work was still the same and I was still fighting for justice. This job ultimately brought me to the governor’s office because of my reputation as a DEI advocate. The DEI part of it came from necessity — I was doing reactive work which included complaints of investigation and complaints of misconduct — but I ultimately suggested investing as an organization to be more proactive to create policies and practices. This would allow us to drive down complaints on the backend and create better work environments on the front end. I then became the Chief Diversity Office of New York State and now ultimately, I’m at Burlington — with a national footprint and impact that not only affects associates but also customers across these issues. We want to make sure that the needs of our diverse customers are met and making sure we’re impacting the communities that we serve. Making sure that our growing associate base, which is tremendously diverse, are provided with opportunities to be successful at Burlington.
Can you articulate to our readers a few reasons why it is so important for a business or organization to have a diverse executive team?
By employing diversity, equity, and inclusion tactics, it gives our organization the ability to not only be responsive to our constituents and customer base, but also make decisions about the products in our stores and understanding our target audience. Having people in the room with diverse backgrounds who are making these big decisions is key, but also having people with cultural intelligence in authoritative positions positively impact the organization. This is also why we’re continuously looking to hire candidates who bring diverse perspectives as way for us to continue fostering an inclusive environment at the corporate level and beyond.
We have also created a culturally competent and diverse work culture. In Burlington’s company-wide anonymous pulse survey, 91 percent of associates responded that Burlington has created a company culture that’s easy for people from diverse backgrounds to fit into and be accepted. In a different analysis, 41,000 associates found that Burlington had a 99.8 percent pay equity rate. We offer a welcoming and inclusive environment and are always looking for wide ranges of talent to join our team. Working at Burlington has been such a wonderful experience and I can’t wait to see where we can take this organization moving forward.
You are an influential business leader. Can you please share your “5 Steps We Must Take To Truly Create An Inclusive, Representative, and Equitable Society”. Kindly share a story or example for each.
Raise the Cultural Intelligence of the individual and organization — I often tell people that it is not my job to create mini-DEI practitioners across an organization. It is also not my job to be present in every meeting or to have a seat at every table where important decisions are being made. It is my job to raise the collective cultural intelligence of those within an organization — leadership down to line staff — to ensure that they simply view the work they do every day through a DEI lense. In doing so the organization functions in a more welcoming, inclusive, and equitable manner.
Institutionalize DEI work — it’s important to have a long-term plan and make sure it’s aligned with the values of your organization but also integrated into every facet of your organization. DEI can no longer live in the margins. It can no longer reside in the space of altruistic endeavors. It must be aligned with the organizations mission, vision, and values and it must be integrated across the entire enterprise in order to drive impact.
Challenge the Status Quo -The work around DEI is all about advocacy and you can’t have advocacy without having the accompanying “will” and “skill” to truly make a difference. The will is the courage to keep moving forward even when the odds are stacked against you. The skill is the strategy and tactics that you will have to employ in order to move this work forward successfully. To be a powerful advocate capable of challenging the status quo in a way that evolves the organization is key.
Diversify leadership ranks — Representation matters…period! To see the full spectrum of our diversity dimensions on display (e.g., race, gender, age, sexual orientation, geography, education level, cognitive ability, socio-economic status, etc.) in the workplace is to move beyond merely celebrating diversity, but to embrace truly leveraging diversity to be more responsive, more resilient, more agile, more engaged and productive, and more innovative as an organization.
Lift as we climb — To quote a popular cinematic/pop-culture phrase, “With great power, comes great responsibility.” For those like myself who have been blessed with tremendous personal and professional success, we are obligated to use our positions, our voices, our networks, our influence, and our access to create space for others and to be intentional about creating the next wave of diverse talented leaders. My ability to mentor, sponsor, and empower others is the price I happily pay for the life that I have been blessed with.
We are going through a rough period now. What makes you optimistic about the future of the US? Can you please explain?
To say these are challenging times would be an understatement. Between gun violence, Supreme Court rulings, hate crimes… it seems like we barely have time to reconcile one calamity before something happens next. With all that our Country is grappling with right now, I am still optimistic due to the enhanced exposure and acceptance of diversity in all forms from today’s youth. Their views are not bound by some of the stereotypes and prejudices that have plagued generations before them. The leveraging of new technology also allowed for broad-based communication, amplifying diverse perspectives, and giving voice to issues that matter. More corporations are embracing their roles as agents of change and engaging in good corporate citizenry by supporting issues that matter to their constituents and being a part of the civic discourse on large social issues. This is why bringing new and diverse talent is imperative for an organization to succeed, and why I’m so happy that Burlington is actively looking to bring that new talent on. If people continue to lean in, speak out, and stand up for what is right and just, then our future still looks bright.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them.
Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. She is the epitome of intellect, strength, grace, and resilience. I recall her sharing how her high school guidance counselor told her not to set her sights so high when she told him she wanted to attend Harvard. At 10 years old, my uncle told me “You aren’t going to be an attorney!” I guess we both proved our naysayers wrong.
How can our readers follow you online?
You can find me at my personal LinkedIn and better yet, we’re hiring! Join our team of diverse, talented individuals here.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
