June 2, 2020
This has been a heartbreaking week as hate, violence, racism, and divisiveness — although sadly not new — are erupting across the country and in our city.
The devastating murder of George Floyd has been the catalyst to open up discussions around years of racial inequalities and injustices in America. This week, we have done a lot of listening. As people with privilege, we can’t be silent and we must stand against systemic racism, hate, and violence.
We also acknowledge that, although we strive to be a welcoming and inclusive culture, we aren’t very diverse, we have inherent blindspots, and we have a lot to learn.
Over the past few months, we have been looking inward and focusing on creating a culture of true diversity, inclusion, and belonging. We’ve had a lot of conversations around unconscious bias, recruiting, and policies and practices that support a thriving culture for all.
Our commitment is to continue to listen, to learn, and to build a culture of universal respect.
Some of our current plans of action are around:
We believe in living our values in our culture and through our actions, within our walls and in the world. Some of us have been championing social justice issues for years while others are being immersed into the discussion for the first time and struggling to find their voice. We know that, together, we can work toward positive change, in both justice and in peace. Let’s do it.
—The AOR Family