Today we are hurting. But there is a different pain, confusion and worry today than the previous days of the global pandemic. This is a pain caused by the raw injustice we have collectively witnessed in the killing of George Floyd, and by the many race-based injustices that have preceded it. Our country is crying, and it should be.
We want to lend our voices to the growing chorus of individuals and businesses calling for substantive social and political change in the wake of a recent, and sadly all-too-common series of violent events. George Floyd. Breonna Taylor. Ahmaud Arbery.
Too many others.
Our country is plagued by inhumane and unjust police brutality and a culture of white supremacy. George Floyd suffered not only at the hands of a rogue cop but also from a systemic, racist culture that has treated Black people as the enemy. Unlike COVID-19, this crisis can be overcome through listening, empathy, understanding, and commitment to change. Through love. Scientists will not develop a vaccine for hatred, bigotry, or violence. This is on us to fix. We all have our own perspectives and are processing in our own way, but as individuals and as a company, we recognize that there is more we can and must do to bring about the changes necessary for a better future.
We take this extraordinary and unprecedented moment to reflect on what we want that better future to look like, and how we can get there. We imagine many of you are doing the same. We realize the answers will require hard, sustained work and large doses of both courage and imagination. We know that the business community can — and must — play a leading role in whatever comes next if it is to succeed.
But for now, we plan to simply listen, bear witness, and stand with those who are suffering under the weight of injustice. To remain silent is to be complicit. Black lives matter.
Steve & Eric, Co-Managing Directors
