Last week our nation shuddered when we watched the unnecessary and tragic death of yet another unarmed black citizen, George Floyd. It is unbearable that his death is just the latest of others preceding him who have senselessly died because of inadequate training, outdated policies and unrelenting racism.
This feels like an impossible letter to write. As part of a company that prides itself on the humanity that it brings to our industry, my heart is broken and I shed tears of pain because I fail to comprehend the inhumanity, ruthlessness and injustice that was required for all four of those officers to take this man’s life.
Our people and our communities share this pain. There are many videos of other police officers around the country also unable to understand why this took place, and condemning the actions these officers had taken. We are all trying to make sense of this and other similar and recent tragedies. George Floyd’s death is evidence of deeply ingrained long standing racial divisions in our society. We must all take it upon ourselves to go to each other and help to heal our wounds and commit to a future of thoughtfulness and compassion, leaving behind the ignorance and arrogance of racism.
Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” No one should be silent anymore. We are committed to standing up for black communities and keeping the conversation going through education and community outreach. We support Black Lives Matter and are working to create opportunities so that we can commit charity work hours to this cause. We support justice for all. We will not be silent about things that matter.
Our team has also put together some material for you to consider. Learn, donate, educate or just get involved.
Collection of helpful resources
For all of our team members, please know that none of you are alone. We are all part of the same team, the same family. All of us. We have employee resources and people that you can talk to, including mental health benefits and resources if you are feeling lost or in despair. Please contact your supervisor, or Maria Mesa if you have questions about how to access these services. We are here for you. We all need to be here for each other.
We will heal together. We will move forward together. Rely on each other. Push for change. Work for a future of which we can be proud. Work for a future of which we all want.
Ted Rubin
Executive Chairman