Diane Alfano, the chairman and CEO of Institutional Investor, posted the following on LinkedIn:
Words cannot begin to express the outrage, shame and despair so many of us are feeling now. The senseless deaths of Eric Garner, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Trayvon Martin (to name just a few) and finally George Floyd have become too much to bear. The racial discrimination against Christian Cooper, innocently birdwatching in Central Park, was a shocking reminder that this occurs in our own backyard on a daily basis and in our industry.
For some of us, it has been too easy to turn off the television and ignore what is happening, especially given our isolation during COVID-19. We cannot remain silent, and must speak out against racism, racial injustice and discrimination.
As CEO of Institutional Investor, I have always been proud of our long history of gender equality. However, I recognized a few years ago that we were behind in hiring people of color. While we have made that a priority and achieved progress, we still have a long way to go. In the meantime, our company is actively working to ensure that our Black and minority employees have a safe, respectful, and inclusive work environment.
There is still work to do, and despite challenges, we will continue to roll up our collective sleeves and move forward.
“Nothing will work unless you do.”
–Maya Angelou
