Many businesses and organizations are announcing furloughs and layoffs as a result of the economic upheavals caused by the pandemic. As America faces a profound time of racial reckoning while in the midst of a pandemic, now is precisely the right time to focus our Equity Lens intently on hiring and firing practices. It’s no time for excuses.  I’ve heard many say: “Given the pandemic, we don’t have time to look into hiring practices.” That’s just using a laziness lens. As Diana Noriega, Assistant Executive Director of Anti-Racism and Equity at Good Shepherd Services stated on my recent radio show: “Crisis accelerates the process of the work. People get comfortable…