Tomorrow is June 19th – Juneteenth – the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States, dating back to 1865. This will also be a paid company holiday for Dina moving forward — starting with tomorrow.
The appalling death of George Floyd has fueled many to say: Enough is Enough. We applaud many who have used their platform to speak out, condemn racism, and join the positive efforts of the Black Lives Matter movement. I see businesses, governments and individuals stepping up their efforts to accelerate policy change, as well as donating to organizations to fund the end of systematic racism faced by African Americans.
I’m troubled that so many unnecessary lives have been taken away. This is something I will truly never understand, and it cannot continue. Yes, I am a minority and have experienced racism and discrimination. But, I have never experienced systematic discrimination and racism like many within the African American community. It must stop.
Black Lives Matter. They have always mattered. Today is another step in a very long journey in supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.
My hope is that we will take this day and time to reflect on our world and society, and come together with positive actions we can incorporate into our company fabric to advance the Black Lives Matter movement.
I’ve invited our team to jointly create an action plan that holds all of us accountable. I will share our action plan with our Board of Directors, so that, ultimately, I am held accountable on how well we execute against it.
We know that words are important; we also know that actions matter, too.
-Ashish Shah, CEO
