Last updated: August 10, 2020
We at Be The Match are pausing, remembering George Floyd and countless other victims of systemic racism, and taking a moment in the midst of both cultural unrest and a worldwide pandemic to simply say this:
To our Black and African American community members, we recognize the pain and exhaustion that comes from hundreds of years of injustice. Words have not been enough, and we commit to you that our actions supporting our vision –equal outcomes for all through the democratization of cell therapy – will not be false, empty, or short-lived.
To support lasting change, our organization is committed to the following:
- Doubling the number of lives saved in underserved populations with no discernable difference in outcomes by 2023.
- Increasing awareness and education in the Black and African American community about the resources and potential cures available to treat Sickle Cell and other blood diseases.
- Adding a paid community engagement fellowship in the Twin Cities focused on building relationships and increasing trust with ethnically diverse communities.
- Increasing the number of interns from historically black colleges and universities by 50%.
- Committing $250,000 by the end of 2021 to partner with community and civic organizations serving diverse communities such as the National Urban League Young Professionals.
- Providing continuous encouragement and resources for our employees to donate and volunteer in impacted communities near them.
- Increasing our diversity and inclusion training opportunities and resources throughout the organization.
- Continuing to champion the Black Employee Resource Group (ERG) whose mission is to engage our Black employees and sponsor events to inform our organization about Black culture.
- Hiring a Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to partner with our inclusion council to support practices that accelerate diversity in leadership, support a culture of inclusion at all levels and build relationships with community organizations and experts who can magnify our Be The Match inclusion and democratization goals.
There have been so many words. It’s time for real change.
We invite you to continue this journey with us. Because in this moment, there is hope. And life.