The senseless murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, provide stark reminders to the systemic discrimination still faced by people of color in our country. The time has come for all Americans to band together and commit to ending the cycle of violence and unjust treatment the Black community experiences every day.
SRI International is committed to equality and to helping all people attain their full potential. We are proud of the work SRI Education has done to improve the education of Black and other children of color. Over the next few days, we will be posting resources from SRI Education to support students, families and others, as they continue to discuss and learn about racism. We will also share what SRI Education is learning about ways to improve access, inclusion and equity for students.
Within SRI International, we will initiate a dialog about discrimination and the many forms it can take. As initial steps, SRI will commit to taking the following actions:
- Provide training to our leaders, managers, and staff to support their understanding about how unconscious biases can creep into daily decisions and result in microaggressions
- Establish additional safe reporting paths for all employees, especially people of color, specifically to report concerns of discrimination
- Review and update our recruitment and hiring process with external experts, with the goal of hiring more Black staff, as well as other underrepresented groups
- Conduct listen and learn sessions with representatives from across the Institute to understand areas where improvement is needed
Let us not forget George Floyd and the countless other victims of racism. Our country is better than this. Together we can make a positive change.
Bill Jeffrey,
CEO, SRI International