● Black History Month comes around every February in the United States.
● While we should celebrate the achievement of the black community year-round, this dedicated time marks a particular moment in which historical lessons and events focus on the greatness of the African American community.
● [The Firm] is committed to supporting the focus this month and continuing to pursue ongoing initiatives. For example, we are funding and putting resources on projects like Change the Race Ratio - where we commit to increasing the diverse representation of our senior management and the Board of Directors. In addition, we have set as a company targets that reflect our commitment to improving diverse hiring. For example, last year, we had a goal of a 15% increase and increased by more than 25%. But there is much more to do, including some initiatives accelerating progress toward a workforce with more Black employees and leaders.
● For [The Firm], every employee needs to know they are appreciated, seen, cared about, listened to, and represented.
● And, beyond numbers, programs like the one we’re doing today provide skill- and competency-building that raises the odds for advancement and creates a workplace at where our employees thrive.
● Thank you to our very own employees Karlene, Abi and D’Angelo for producing the event and André for being one of our panelists. And I welcome Sabrina Hersi Issa and Wendy Jamerson joining us today.
● To our [The Firm] employees tuning in, thank you for allowing me a moment to address you. I’m eager to get this panel started too, so let me hand it back to you, Karlene.
