A Message from our CEO: Change at a Time of Great Need
Today, there is a deep pain being felt across the country and in the hearts of many around the globe. The senseless death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police has, once again, caused anger, fear, and trauma across our communities.
But this trauma is not new – it has lived with us for far too long. This nation’s history of inequality, injustice, and racism has deprived too many of the opportunity, safety, and privilege that so many others of us take for granted every day. It is well past time to bring an end to these inequalities and for our nation to make the long-term systemic changes necessary to guarantee each person equal rights, protections, and opportunities to thrive.
We at CA are committed to doing all that we can and must do to help create a more just and equitable society. Led by our colleagues in CA Mosaic, our dedicated initiative focused on racial diversity, inclusion, and empowerment, the firm will make donations to several organizations around the globe which are focused on economic empowerment and equality in honor of Juneteenth, which marks the end of slavery in the US.
Financial support of these worthy causes is an important step, but it is not the only one we need to take. We want to play a true part in ongoing change. We stand with our colleagues of color and all underrepresented ethnic minorities. Our firm definitively rejects inequality, prejudice, racism, and discrimination. We are committed to inclusion and protecting the rights of all our colleagues and ensuring that every employee at CA has an equal opportunity to thrive.
For some of us at CA, being part of real solutions requires allyship, the support of a community whose cause you believe in. We must all consider how we can be allies to our colleagues in any underrepresented group, and we take that commitment very seriously.
Allyship takes many forms. Many of our colleagues participate in activism groups both inside CA and within our communities. These recent tragic events have continued conversations at our firm, and I have been both moved and called to action by the personal stories and suggested reading being shared by our global colleagues to engage in dialogue, reflection, and community building in our shared spaces.
I encourage all members of our community, inside and outside of CA, to spend some time making these investments in allyship. There are many ways to do this. Here are just a few:
Help. Be a voice and a resource for those who are struggling during this time of unrest. We have provided explicit resources to our colleagues to support them during this tumultuous time. I encourage other places of employment to do the same.
Listen. Be mindful of the diverse people in our community and spend some time just getting to know someone who might not be like you.
Learn. Educate yourself on the ways you can be an active ally to the African American community more broadly. I found this link particularly helpful, and I hope you do too.
Our communities feel so strained right now. The pandemic, the economy, and now the pain of this racial injustice and unrest are each extreme events. I know it can feel like we are very distant from what feels normal.
But I also know that great change can come from great strife. I believe we are at such a moment in our history, and we can all be a part of changes that need to occur to strengthen our communities.
Let’s all be a part of the solution.
