#NOROOMFORHATE

On May 25, 2020…

For 8 minutes and 46 seconds, we watched one helpless human being get murdered by a man whose job requires an oath to serve and protect. The powder keg of years of oppression and senseless injustice exploded. And it needed to. The nation, and the world finally declared, “Enough of this. We have had enough.”

PeopleGrove stands beside the Black community. PeopleGrove stands in solidarity with all who oppose systemic racism and injustice. We’re also mindful enough to look in the mirror and ask, “What can we be doing to create a more just, equitable, better future world?”

We have struggled to just “get back to work”, in spite of the importance of our mission. We have supported our team members who have volunteered and marched. We are attempting to process the extreme injustice and justifiable anger we’ve witnessed. 

The work we’ve done at PeopleGrove has often been in response to learning from our community. We know that we can do better. We will work harder to uphold our core values, particularly: Practicing Respect. Diverse viewpoints, empathy for one another, and seeing all parts of a person are needed now more than ever.

Beyond our espoused values and mission statement, we also aim to lead with action. So today, we will:

• Re-commit that the way we treat each other, our partners and our community always fosters inclusivity, respect, and understanding.
• Create a paid volunteer time off program so each team member can support their community, and build a better world.
• Make US Federal Election Day on November 3rd an annual company holiday so we can all vote for leaders who support the changes we need to see in the world.

Embrace what makes us different

As PeopleGrove continues to grow, we will continue to do so responsibly. We will continue to listen. We will continue to educate our leaders and our teams. We will embrace what makes us different. There is no room for hate.

We stand in solidarity with the #blacklivesmatter movement. As we enter Pride month, we will stand with our LGBT community. We have no tolerance for discrimination based on race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical appearance, mental, or behavioral functions.

We acknowledge that we’ve still got a long way to go. We hope this is a new beginning. And, we hope each person who reads this will help drive positive change and love for each other.