Black Lives Matter
At Catalyst, we are deeply grieved and horrified by the murder of George Floyd and the long history of victims that precede his death. In a nation that claims to be founded upon the self-evident truth that all men are created equal, with the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, we tragically have never truly achieved our vision. It is time for every voice to rise together in unison to stand against racism, oppression, and hatred.
In our social media feeds, we have all seen the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. quote circulating that reminds us, “a time comes when silence is betrayal.”
At Catalyst, we are shaken out of our silence by this truth. We agree with Black leaders that this can no longer be a Black problem; it is everyone’s problem, and it is our problem, here at Catalyst, too.
We willingly accept our responsibility of empathy, education, and action.
We all must learn to feel the grief-stricken anguish of families forced into tragic bereavements that have ravaged and shattered Black lives. Lives that, indeed, do matter very much — lives that demand our voices unite and speak loudly against the indignities and atrocities that have become far too common.
The deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Sandra Bland, Trayvon Martin, Philando Castile, and the devastatingly long list of others cannot be in vain. Their names and images must evoke permanent, systemic, and generational change.
We recognize that we have entered a new era in which eradicating racism in all its expressions must become a conscious and intentional mission for every individual, every family, and every organization.
What expresses itself as an institutional and systemic issue begins in every single heart. The only way to fight racism is to call it out, condemn it, and confront it at every turn.
At Catalyst, we commit to the following:
- To proactively and continually educate ourselves and examine our practices as individuals and an organization following the guidance of Black leaders. Beginning this month, we will start reading resources together as a team to ask ourselves the questions we need to face and continue to develop our knowledge, empathy, and ability to create change.
- To incorporate what we learn into our recruiting and hiring, employee onboarding and training, company policies, client and vendor relationships, and the work we engage in and create as a marketing agency.
- To contribute our time and financial resources to create or fund solutions and make positive, tangible change a reality, especially in our local community.
- To say their names. We will commit our social platforms to honoring the lives lost and to call for justice with the hope that it will stir others to action.
We cannot end racism alone, but we will not be silent any longer.