"As a Black man in America, it is mentally exhausting that in 2020 we're still discussing racial injustice," he said on Wednesday.

In a conversation with National Retail Federation President and CEO Matthew Shay for the organization's retail leadership speaker series, Ellison said the killing of Floyd served as yet another reminder of "systemic racism and ignorance" that Black people face.

He discussed elevating Black executives within Lowe's and challenged corporate leaders to posture less and do more when it comes to combating racial inequality.

To contextualize his thoughts on racial inequality, Ellison delved into his experience growing up in rural western Tennessee, where he said he "literally was born in a cotton field." Ellison's parents primarily supported the family through sharecropping and lacked indoor plumbing until 1971.

Ellison said his parents taught him to place his faith in God, work hard, and pursue a college education to "limit the ability for people to hold me back.".

Today Ellison said the company has 17 Black officers: two executive vice presidents, two senior vice presidents, and 11 vice presidents

Ellison said he felt it was important not to allow the issue "to fade away when the news cycle changes." He said his company has directed its leaders "to have conversations with their teams about how they feel about racial injustice and how they feel about equality within the company." 

For Ellison, the need for action goes back to his own experiences with racial inequality and racism growing up in the segregated South

"I'm very appreciative that there's all this dialogue happening out there, but I didn't have to see the horrific murder of George Floyd to understand that there was racial injustice in America," Ellison said