Silence is not an answer. We must listen and do the work to be actively anti-racist.
Companies are made of people, and there comes a time when the people that make up a company feel it’s vital to speak out against injustice, for to be silent is a perpetuation of that injustice. Now is one of those times.
We have been appalled by the events we’ve witnessed over the past few weeks; as first police (again) brutally killed a Black man, and then responded to outrage about police brutality with more brutality. We have been dismayed at the shutting down of peaceful protests, and encouraged by the huge outpouring of support across the country for Black people.
We stand with them.
It seems too obvious to have to say, but: people of color in America should not have to live with the fear of violence from our government. They should not have to live with racial discrimination and injustice. The long history of systemic racism in this country has only been exacerbated in recent years as we continue to polarize as a nation. It is time to make deep, systemic changes.
Here are the actions we are taking now:
- Walker Tracker is making donations to the following organizations: The Black Resilience Fund, Loveland Foundation Therapy Fund, NAACP of Portland.
- We are matching employee donations to civil rights organizations of their choice and any organizations that uplift black lives to support healing, unity, and racial justice.
- We’re providing means for our employees to make their voices heard, to attend peaceful protests, and take whatever time off work they need as a direct or indirect result of this action.
- Our teams are having open and honest conversations about our role in change.
With Love,
Ben Parzybok (CTO/Founder) and Taylor Welsh (CEO)