One year later.
On the anniversary of George Floyd's death, we look at the lessons learned and the strides we continue to make.
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On May 25, 2020, George Floyd died and the video of that horrific event sent shockwaves around the country and launched a global movement.
On today’s Up To Speed, host Andy Choi and special guest Communications Director Marie McGehee discuss the impact of that event on the Verizon community, our financial contributions and the meaningful conversations that followed.
Hans delivered an impassioned statement to our V Team on June 1, 2020, in which he shared his reaction to the events and a commitment that Verizon would continue dialogue around related social justice matters.
Hans also announced that the Verizon Foundation would give $10 million to organizations working against racism: the National Urban League, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the National Action Network, the Leadership Conference for Civil and Human Rights, the Rainbow Push Coalition, the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
And our relationships with many of these organizations did not begin there, nor does it end there. In addition to our initial $10 million contribution that we announced last year, we have since committed an additional $11 million bringing our total over the past year to over $20 million in support of the Black and African American community as well as the Asian community. Also, as part of Verizon’s race and social justice action plan we:
- Created space for our V Team to share their personal stories
- Launched a race and social justice toolkit
- Premiered #Next20 a new series focused on the issues that will drive the next 20 years - from criminal justice reform to voting rights to mental health
- We doubled down on training that emphasized unconscious bias, antiracism and conscious inclusion
- Released our human capital report
- Continued our long-standing partnerships with our community partners to advance their work in education, criminal justice reform, voting rights and other key areas
- Our employees participated in hundreds of volunteer activities to advance social justice as part of our Citizen Verizon responsible business plan dedicated to economic, environmental and social advancement
And we are not done. We know that there’s much more work to do to create a future of work that works for everyone including our V Team and create a more equitable society — especially in our most vulnerable communities — so that we can move the world forward for all.
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