Goldman Sachs' Edith Cooper says it's time to start talking about race in the workplace. Here's how she's doing that.

Edith Cooper has spent over 20 years at Goldman Sachs, growing from the energy-trading division to become the global head of human capital management. She's the hiring gatekeeper for the investment bank — and part of the heart and soul of Goldman's culture. When she speaks, it trickles down and well beyond the firm's global offices.

That makes her recent discussion about race in the workplace even more powerful. She's a black woman, raised by parents who grew up in the segregated South, who has become a partner and executive vice president at arguably one of the most powerful and respected companies on Wall Street. She knows success. She also knows what it feels like to be mistaken for the coat check at her son's school and being asked to serve coffee at a client meeting she came to run.

"I shared my experiences with the hope that people would take threads of my experience, find relevance to theirs and empower themselves," Cooper told LinkedIn. "The conversations that I was having with people of color, and quite frankly with people who are not black, really proved and showed to me that this was a topic that wasn't just something that people were struggling with in their personal lives — because what is the difference? Your beliefs as a human being really don't end when you come to work."

As more and more incidents of police violence against black men and women flash across our screens, the effects have penetrated well beyond the confines of our personal lives and into the workplace. Fortune 500 companies, led by the likes of Goldman Sachs and others like Morgan Stanley, Accenture and Nike, are opening up difficult conversations about race, culture and belonging. These workplaces have recognized, like Cooper says, that we bring our whole selves into the workplace each day. They are opening up compassionate conversations around inclusion and diversity with the intention of creating an environment where every employee can thrive.

"We know this about people, they aren't really separating their identity and their personal lives from work," said Cooper. "They want to know that who they are and what they believe in can be the same when the come to the workplace."

Goldman's leadership saw that and responded. Following the tragic shootings in Baton Rouge, Minneapolis and Dallas, CEO and Chairman Lloyd Blankfein held an open panel with senior black leaders at the bank to discuss their personal and professional experiences. It was the first in a series of "Talks at GS" for employees and leaders that addresses race and social equality. That first talk, Cooper sat on stage to the left of Blankfein and alongside three other senior leaders. When she looked out, the audience filled all the seats, the aisles and stood in the back of the room. Everyone was there from her senior leadership colleagues to the young analysts she's helped hire.

"It took my breath away because I realized then that now is the time for the conversation," said Cooper.

The conversation is still going, and Cooper's openness to share her own story has prompted other Goldman employees to open up, as well. The top comment on her post came from one employee, Chantal Heslop, which neatly summarizes the deep impact these initiatives are having internally.

"As a fellow GS colleague I too have felt lost in the sea of racial turmoil that has gripped our society. And although I try to leave that feeling at the security desk when I enter our NYC offices on a daily basis, that has been easier said than done," wrote Heslop. "It saddens me how issues like these aren't discussed but merely whispered about between people of color at the water fountain or the lunch room. The time for whispers should be long past. It is time for open dialogue to educate and engage every person in this country."

Cooper is hoping that other companies can learn from Goldman's example and open up a dialogue with employees, even if it isn't easy: "We all have to get comfortable being uncomfortable."