Doing our part.
A call to action to stop hate. Plus, volunteering for Earth Hour.
Full Transparency
Our editorial transparency tool uses blockchain technology to permanently log all changes made to official releases after publication. However, this post is not an official release and therefore not tracked. Visit our learn more for more information.
Happy Friday! On today’s Up To Speed Live, host Diana Alvear recapped the big news stories from earlier in the week and shared the following new updates:
#StopAsianHate
Today is a countrywide call for an end to violence and discrimination against Asian American and Pacific Islander communities with a #StopAsianHate virtual day of action and healing. Today also coincides with the anniversary of the Naturalization Act of 1790 — a law which limited naturalization, excluding Native Americans, indentured servants, slaves, free blacks and Asians.
We heard from Rachel Chan, Director on the Media strategy team in Marketing, who shared personal stories that illustrate the racism Asian communities continue to face. Rachel mentioned she usually isn’t vocal on bigger platforms but knew it was time to show up and speak out because having these difficult conversations leads to change and understanding. She encouraged us to share our stories and support one another because “giving support is more meaningful than just acknowledging the fact that it exists.”
Rachel left us with this quote, “when you cannot control what is happening, challenge yourself to control the way you respond.” What will you do today to #StopAsianHate? Check out our Race & Social Justice toolkit to get started.
Also, today, Emilio Gonzalez, Executive Director for Strategic Alliances, is at the White House, speaking at a business leader roundtable discussion on the important role of business in combating hate, specifically Anti-Asian violence. Verizon is one of only four companies invited to the event.
You can declare your support for the Asian community and encourage others to do the same with our series of social cards. You can find those on our Inside Verizon social channels and make sure to tag them with hashtag #StopAsianHate.
Earth Hour
This Saturday is Earth Hour. It is our 12th year participating in Earth Hour-related initiatives. For every hour volunteered in the month of March, we are planting a tree. Our goal is 20,000 hours and that is our challenge to you! Let us know what you are doing this year for Earth Hour. Send a note to good@verizon.com.
Weekly rundown
Monday, we made Christy’s day by having her family present the Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award trophy live to her in person! Such a fun surprise. If you didn’t check it out, take a look here.
Tuesday, Yahoo held its Build It Forward event, which featured everyone from Guru to Serena Williams, and the show was hosted by the hilarious Craig Robinson. Check out the full event here.
Verizon Media announced we’re donating $5 million in advertising to a number of disability organizations. In addition, Verizon Media will ramp up captioning efforts and commit to featuring closed captions on 100 percent of new user-facing video, including partner content, that is streamed on our own video players starting on April 1.
Wednesday, we debuted Enterate con Verizon, the new video series featuring all things Verizon from a Latinx lens. If you missed it, check it out and stay tuned... tenemos mucho mas.
Did you see Tuesday’s Frontline Finals Live? It was a Twitch gaming event with NBA players Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz and Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves, They battled with volunteer firefighters Michael Duffy and Raymond Hess. What a fun night! Next month make sure to check out the showdown between Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks and Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets.
Verizon Frontline enables small businesses to provide meals to essential workers in Washington, DC. We have partnered with Food on the Stove and the Power of 10 Initiative to deliver more than 1,500 meals prepared by local restaurants to DC firefighters, EMTs and coronavirus vaccination centers.
Do you have a favorite women-owned business? Tag them along with @VerizonBusiness with hashtag #WomenOwnWednesday. This week, top designer, Christian Siriano tagged a woman-owned business that inspires him.
The new #Next20 episode also dropped this week: Women’s Money Matters. Yahoo! Finance reporter Alexis Keenan spoke with Bola Sokunbi, best-selling author and CEO/founder of Clever Girl Finance; Erin Lowry, best-selling author of the Broke Millennial book series; and Sallie Krawcheck, CEO and co-founder of Ellevest, to hear advice on how women can be their own advocates and build a strong financial future.
We also heard from 13-year-old Chloe Gibson, who was empowered to help her mom through a STEM program developed by Verizon Innovative Learning. Women’s history is truly made every day!
Click here for a transcript of the webcast.
If you have any questions, email them to live@verizon.com.
Get the latest information on our Coronavirus Resource Page (Inside Verizon, The Street).
