Message to my company, clients, vendors, and study participants.
To my company, clients, vendors, and study participants:
There is no place in this world for racism; we are one human race and diversity is beautiful. There is no place for police brutality; those in power carry the burden of learning how to wield that power justly. There is no place for silencing voices yearning to be heard; freedom of speech must be a universal freedom or it’s no true freedom at all.
Black lives matter. I may never fully understand what people of color are going through, but I stand with them. I’ve experienced racism in my own life, but nothing close or even remotely comparable to the racism experienced by Black and Brown communities in the US. I was spared the horror of what so many other people experience today by those who fought and continue to fight for equality. Just a few generations ago, my ancestors were on the brink of extinction; racism lead to mass genocide, the systematic extermination of 2 out of every 3 of us. If it wasn’t for those who fought then, I wouldn’t be here today. Other people fought for me and over the past few weeks I’ve been asking myself why am I not out there fighting for others.
There’s a lot of pain in the world right now. A lot of people are suffering. People are hurting and I am deeply saddened by the injustices experienced by our Black and Brown communities. Our mission at Core is “To apply a human touch to all aspects of user research: serving our clients, connecting with our study participants, collaborating with our co-workers, and improving the usability and safety of products and services.” We at Core are committed to that work, which expands beyond connecting with people for medical device development only. As human beings, we also have an essential role in supporting each other in times of great need and want to bring that human touch to support Black and Brown communities. This is one of those times.
To our employees: I care deeply about you and I aim to create a positive and safe space for everyone. I want you to know that Core is here to support each and every one of you and I hope that you may find the strength and courage to support others. How can I support you? If you need additional time off, please see me. If you need accommodations for something, please see me. If you have ideas for how we can advance social change, please see me. As a reminder, Core will match dollar for dollar your charitable donations so please remember to submit those donations for matching. In the past few days alone, matching contributions have been sent to We The Protesters, Equal Justice Initiative, and the NAACP Empowerment Program.
To our study participants: We see you, we hear you, you matter to us. For the next few months, we will be offering you the opportunity to donate your honorariums to charity and Core will match those contributions dollar for dollar like we match the contributions of our employees.
To our clients: Core was built on the fundamental principle that those with the power to design and engineer systems/products must learn from those who use those systems/products. How do you learn? You watch people. You listen to people. You engage in dialogue with people. That fundamental principle determines the success of products, it determines the success of businesses, and at a larger scale it determines the success of societies.
To our vendors, we invite you to join us in taking meaningful actions towards systemic change.
Today we stand together, united, with the Black and Brown communities and all people who need our support. Today we stand against the systemic racism and oppression prevalent in the US. Today we stand up and say we’ve made mistakes. I’ve made mistakes; I’ve been too quiet for too long. Today we begin to be the change we wish to see.
I know that there are no quick fixes to the pain and suffering but I pledge to:
Do better (Be better)
Keep listening with an open heart and mind
Be the example I want to see in the world
Foster internal conversations at Core
Continue to ensure that Core is a safe-space for all voices
Keep the dialogue open with my family, friends, and colleagues
Seek out experts and representatives from Black and Brown communities
Reevaluate Core’s diversity policy and hiring procedures
I know that there is so much I have yet to learn and I feel privileged to have the opportunity to keep learning.
With Love,
Adam