On June 20th, 2022, ConnectedWell Talent Advisors will be closed in observance of Juneteenth. The official celebration of the emancipation of slaves in the United States is of great importance to us. We also remember those who lost their lives 101 years ago this month in the Tulsa Race Massacre in which hundreds of black residents were killed or injured and thousands were left homeless by a mob.
“All of this contributes to an environment that continues to be hostile toward African Americans, one that tell us, ‘You are not welcome’.”
LeRon Barton, Harvard Business Review
While this is a holiday intended as a day of celebration, we recognize that the struggle is far from over. We see that many POC are still not able to live safely, securely and comfortably. Basic freedoms that many Americans take for granted at times, should be for all.
As LeRon Barton noted last year in Harvard Business Review, with 1% of VC money going to black founders and somewhere between 2.8% to 6% of employees at Google, Twitter and Facebook being black, “All of this contributes to an environment that continues to be hostile toward African Americans, one that tell us, ‘You are not welcome’.”
Many of us come from backgrounds where individuals “like us” were not commonly seen. We are continually grateful that our network of candidates and our excellent clients continue to trust us. We know we have important work- helping companies find, attract, hire and retain the best talent from the most inclusive pool of candidates we can find.
For more information about Juneteenth, we recommend juneteenth.com . And this article from 2019, What Every American Should Know About Juneteenth