From: Ant Blair
Columbus
On a warm October evening, while drinking a cold Lemon IPA from Hog Molly Brewing, my name was announced as the winner of the most enlightening category for the Fall 2023 Ignite competition.
My enlightening idea was, “7 things you probably don’t know about J. Irwin Miller.”
Based on the audience’s positive and enthusiastic response, I decided to share the idea here.
Let’s transport ourselves to the 1960s — a time of unrest, protest, and transformation. Some Americans valiantly demanded the constitutional rights promised to every citizen.
United, hand in hand, they fought against evil, ignorance and hatred in the pursuit of equality.
Among these remarkable Americans was a United States president who never was: J. Irwin Miller, longtime chairman at Cummins. You may know him as a capitalist, a philanthropist, but perhaps not as an activist.
In the 1950s and ‘60s, when only 16% of the auto industry workforce was African American, J. Irwin Miller recognized the need for change. And so it happened — by the early 1960s, over 10% of the Cummins workforce was African American.
In 1963, over 250,000 people marched in Washington, D.C. — an unprecedented event.
Their cause? Equality.
J. Irwin Miller embraced their mission. With his support, the movement quickly made significant progress.
Miller’s influence reached the highest offices. He implored presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Baines Johnson to make the Civil Rights Act a reality.
The result?
The passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, also known as Public Law 88–352; 78 Stat. 241.
During Miller’s tenure as chair of the National Urban League in the late 1960s and early 1970s, three impactful programs aimed at benefiting African Americans were developed. These initiatives included a labor education program, an executive exchange program, and a school-to-work program.
J. Irwin Miller’s commitment to equality extended beyond organizations like the National Urban League. As a member of the National Council of Churches — the largest ecumenical organization in America — he urged churches to actively address racial inequalities and take a stand.
3.5 million “black” Africans endured forced relocation to segregated neighborhoods due to apartheid legislation. J. Irwin Miller’s response was a resolute “no” to apartheid. He refused to do business in South Africa and lobbied for imposing economic sanctions against the regime.
In 1962, the Indiana Civil Rights Commission reported that over a quarter-million African-American Hoosiers faced housing discrimination. J. Irwin Miller refused to accept this injustice. He lobbied for fair housing legislation in Indiana.
Dear readers, I contend that we need more J. Irwin Millers in the world, not more talk about J. Irwin Miller.
I challenge each of you to lead, organize, and fund transformative change, just as J. Irwin Miller did.
