Chicago Bears hope to lead in diversity efforts in NFL

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Bears General Manager Ryan Poles has a lot of work to do to try to turn the Bears into a winning team.

He recently took time to work with some high school students at Hallas Hall, the Chicago Bears' headquarters.

Poles is one of only a handful of Black general managers in the NFL. Just last month, the Bears hired Kevin Warren, Poles' new boss and one of just five Black team presidents in the league. The team also has Ashton Washington, a Black female scout.

Tanesha Wade, the vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion, says the Bears take pride in having a diverse staff.

"We're looking to be leaders in diversity, equity and including," Wade said. "But also we want to be authentic. It's what we should be doing."

As the Bears vice president of Diversity, equity and inclusion, Wade helped choose Warren for the front office job.

Washington is the team's first full time female scout. On the field, the Bears are also led by Black quarterback Justin Fields, making the Bears a leader for diversity in all professional sports.

"You don't want to do something, you don't want to do something and do it once and say 'we are done'," Wade said. "You want it to be sustainable and eventually measurable."

The Bears say that while the NFL is encouraging teams to become more diverse, there was no single controversial event that prompted them to hire a more diverse staff. Instead, the team says they recognized they had room for improvement.

"This came from self-reflection and that's what puts you in a place to be successful for the long term," Wade said.

The Bears say that having a diverse leadership group is just the first step. Now it's important to show what changes they can bring about and the real work behind.