Passive support isn’t enough
By Jon Jones
Nothing I could ever write would adequately capture the amount of pain our country is experiencing right now. I’m only now beginning to know what I don’t know. Yet, even when our words fail us, we can listen, learn, and drive lasting change.
The killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and many others before them reveal the deeply ingrained racial prejudice and injustice in our society. Every day, Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) experience racism, bigotry, and unequal treatment in many different forms. When you add the fact that COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted BIPOC, it should be no surprise that our awareness of these issues has hit a boiling point. We can’t stay silent.
At Brighton Jones, our mission is to help our clients, colleagues, and the global community live a richer life. We have intentionally made compassion the foundational pillar of our culture, and now it is time for us to double down on that commitment.
As a company, we embrace the opportunity to be a part of an expanded vision of diversity, equity, and inclusiveness. Working to create a culture of psychological safety means ensuring that we are an actively anti-racist organization. Passive support isn’t enough.
While we realize we have so much to learn, here are the actions we are committing to today:
- Providing immediate financial support to organizations that have been on the frontlines of these issues for years.
- Launching a Community Impact Circle focused on anti-racism so as a community we can learn together, amplify new voices, and donate to organizations making a positive difference.
- Educating our colleagues on systemic racism and privilege dynamics so we can be better listeners and foster productive conversations with friends, family, and our community.
We are here to listen and to learn from all of you. I invite anyone reading this message to send me your ideas for work we can do as an organization. We don’t have the answers right now, but we know that we need each of your voices to build a more just society.
As Cleo Wade wrote:
“Silence doesn’t change the world.
It changes us. It shrinks us. It takes our stories
and feelings away from us and buries them alive.
Unearth what is buried within you.”
Compassion is a verb. Black Lives Matter.
Jon Jones is the CEO and co-founder of Brighton Jones.
