Our Thoughts And Actions Regarding Discrimination
In the past three weeks, our nation has witnessed a great deal of pain rise to the surface to be recognized and healed. The killing of George Floyd, a Black man, at the hands of the Minneapolis Police did more than simply unearth the need for police reform. It also shined a reminding light on an uncomfortable truth: that in so many ways, we are still living in two different Americas.
What We’re Doing to Help
Beyond simply stating, “Black Lives Matter,” which we do indeed affirm, we believe it is important to state that we stand with our black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) brothers and sisters, as well as all those facing various forms of discrimination, at this time of collective mourning and change.
Amber Engine adheres to an “ISM” upheld by the Rock Family of Companies (FOC), of which we are members. That ISM requires us to always strive to “do the right thing.” In the spirit of that ISM, we believe it is important to move beyond words and to take action against all forms of discrimination. To that end, we would like to highlight several initiatives underway at both Amber Engine and the larger FOC.
First and foremost, Amber Engine is committed to creating a safe space for all our team members, including opportunities for increased dialogue around issues of diversity within the company and beyond. In support of this commitment, we recently held a “town hall” team discussion regarding discrimination and the killing of George Floyd.
Additionally, Amber Engine and the FOC are taking the following actions:
Amber Engine observed Juneteenth on June 19th to commemorate the end of slavery and to encourage its employees to use the time to educate themselves around the history of racial injustice. We joined the rest of the 30,000 team members across the Rock FOC that took the day as an opportunity to reflect, learn, and listen.
As always, Amber Engine is committed to supporting our local community in Detroit, America’s largest majority-Black city. To that end, we continue to involve our team with volunteer work in the city.
The FOC, at large, is instituting an action plan to advance meaningful and lasting discussions on race, police brutality, and inclusion. The organization will continue to focus on improved recruiting efforts for Black professionals, re-emphasizing diversity and inclusion into all leadership development and providing expectations for accountability.
The FOC will mobilize its government affairs team to influence outcomes that support racial equality.
The FOC is also working with civic and community leaders to increase dialogue and collaboration to develop sustainable solutions.
In addition to taking the actions outlined above, we would like to take a moment to renounce the killing of George Floyd by the Minneapolis Police. Furthermore, we renounce the killings and deaths of countless others, including Jamar Clark, Philando Castile, Breonna Taylor, and Sandra Bland, to name just a few.
Raising Our Level of Awareness
As a member of the Rock Family of Companies, we adhere to another ISM that requires us to “always be raising our level of awareness.” We feel that applies here, as the first step toward lasting change is increased awareness. In the case of discrimination, we believe it is important to initiate both dialogue and action, as demonstrated above. We believe it is a combination of meaningful dialogue and action that will begin the process of raising awareness beyond our walls and team.
Thank you for taking the time to read this statement, and we invite any feedback or suggestions you may have regarding our action plan and post. We ask that you keep the discussion respectful and courteous, especially in this case, seeing as this is a sensitive issue.
Alex Borzo
Writer at Amber Engine
A brand can only communicate with messaging behind it, and that's where Alex Borzo comes in. A digital content marketer with a decade of experience, Alex's expertise shines in the research and writing she does for dozens of clients. When she connected with Amber Engine, it was a natural fit—AE had ambitious plans to provide their audience with even more valuable content to win in ecommerce, and Alex's background working with SaaS innovators positioned her to jump right in. The result? Brands and distributors are now discovering AE and all the best tactics to get to Amazon and other online marketplaces in weeks instead of months.