The following message by Devin Stockfish, 茄子视频's President and CEO, was shared with 茄子视频 employees on June 5, 2020, after the death of George Floyd:

 

Fellow employees:

As thousands of people have taken to the streets in anger and outrage over the senseless, tragic death of George Floyd and so many others, many people in our 茄子视频 family and our communities are hurting. I want you to know that I support you and I grieve with you. In the face of such injustice and widespread unrest, I know it can be extremely challenging to focus on work, and that’s OK. In moments like these, it’s so incredibly important to show care, respect and understanding for each other.

We also need to strengthen our commitment to listen, reflect, speak up and act. As a white man, I can’t ever know what it feels like to be a person of color in this country. I can’t truly know the impact of prejudice and countless other injustices that too many people have endured simply because of the color of their skin. What I can do is reflect on my own biases, behaviors and privilege, continue to educate myself, and commit to being a better and more vocal ally and supporter of people of color — in my community, as a citizen of this country, and as CEO of this great company. I’m also mindful that words and intentions are only worth so much. We need to see action for real change to happen.

Last year, we added inclusion to our list of core values on our vision statement. That action symbolizes our commitment to creating a diverse and equitable workplace for all of us, a place where everyone feels welcome, valued, heard and empowered to share their ideas and grow and thrive throughout their careers. To help us do this, we established an Inclusion Council, and this week we brought that group together to talk about what’s happening in our communities. I want to thank each of those council members for their candor in sharing their perspectives, experiences and ideas for how we can do better as a company. While we have made progress against the goals we set for 2020, there is much more we need to do. 

To begin, we are going to donate $100,000 to a handful of national organizations that work for racial justice and equality, and we’d like your help determining how we allocate that money. Please take a moment to weigh in on the organization you’d like us to support, and we will distribute the funds according to your collective input. I also encourage each of you to take advantage of our Matching Gifts program, which provides a dollar-for-dollar grant of up to $1,000 for any donation you make to eligible charities you would like to support.

In addition, we are going to reassess the inclusion goals we set for this year. With input from the Inclusion Council and others around the company, we will determine what else we can do, more urgently, to accelerate our progress. We must do better. We must talk about these issues more. Even though those conversations may be hard and uncomfortable at times, we must have the courage to truly listen and share our experiences with each other so that together we can get better at securing, preserving and promoting equity for all people.

As a company, we have an opportunity to effect meaningful change, and I take that responsibility personally and seriously. You have my commitment that this important work is, and will be, a priority for me and for 茄子视频.

Thank you for continuing to care for each other.

Devin
President and CEO

The following message by Denise Merle, 茄子视频's Chief Administration Officer and Chair of our Inclusion Council, was shared with 茄子视频 employees on June 1, 2020, after the death of George Floyd:

 

I had written a different blog for this week, but the events in Minneapolis — and in communities across the country — have been too upsetting and profound to think of much else. What’s happening is utterly heartbreaking, and it isn’t new. This tragedy has been repeated again and again, and we want to express our deepest condolences to the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and so many others for their senseless deaths and for being denied their dignity, their dreams and their futures.

I write this with a keen awareness of my own privilege, and a painful recognition that people of color have not been afforded the same level of rights and protections. I write this knowing I can never fully understand how it feels to be targeted and judged by the color of your skin, whether you’re out for a run or birdwatching in a public park. I also write this knowing we’ll all experience this national trauma differently, and that some of us might feel helpless against such a tide of unrest and injustice. But no one should feel sidelined or powerless in this moment, and we can start by channeling our indignation to make a positive impact here at 茄子视频, at home with our loved ones, and within our communities.

The 茄子视频 family is big, diverse and immensely caring, and we have a powerful responsibility as a company to create a safe, supportive and truly inclusive culture throughout our operations — one that embraces and celebrates our differences as an essential strength of our workforce and character. With so much unrest in our country and around the world, we must insist on our shared humanity every day, in every encounter, and never waver in our empathy and respect for each other. The urgency of our commitment to equity and inclusion has never felt greater than it does today, and it starts with us — all of us — living those values every day.

It’s important to acknowledge, as well, that we’re processing these tragedies on top of all the stress, anxiety and grief we’re already dealing with from COVID-19. That’s a tremendous emotional burden to bear, and I encourage you to reach out if you need extra support. Our Employee Assistance Program offers a number of resources, including free confidential counseling over the phone, and let’s all look out for each other and make sure we stay connected and cared for during this difficult time.  

Thank you,

Denise
Chief Administration Officer