Alter.Nation
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Last week we witnessed the horrific murder of an innocent black man named George Floyd. Everything about it revealed that after hundreds of years, systemic racism still exists. As a society and as individuals, we have let each other down. And yesterday we watched George Floyd’s memorial service on television. The pain and anguish that his family, his community, and our broader humanity will endure should alone be enough to force all of us to reimagine who we are and how we embrace those different from us, whether those differences are on the inside or the outside. We must do more.
Yes, everyone has the right to be pissed, the duty to be appalled and the call for justice must be our cry. But that will not be enough. We must do more. We must make this a personal responsibility.
At Alteryx, our beliefs are pretty simple. We believe in inclusion and diversity because we recognize that our differences are what make us stronger. We believe in showing up each day as your true and authentic selves as it allows for genuine and transparent conversations around our wants, needs, fears and ambitions. We believe in working hard to eliminate our conscious and unconscious biases as we all have them. We believe in calling each other out when those biases are revealed. Our program is called Alter.Us and we believe that change must begin with each one of us if we are going to have a chance of improving all of us. Regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion or native language, everyone has a seat and a voice at this diversity and inclusion table. We have to be all in.
While this past week has been very painful for so many, the hard work is ahead of us. I hope we have the courage to acknowledge that our differences make us stronger – otherwise they will divide us. I call on my fellow associates at Alteryx to be all in as well. Share your stories, socialize our program and constantly seek ways to improve it.
Alter.Us and Alteryx for Good partnered to identify and support causes we care about; we are donating $25,000 between two nonprofit organizations, Equal Justice Initiative and Race Forward. We encourage associates, customers and partners to join our efforts via our donation campaign and to learn more about these organizations.
- Donate to Equal Justice Initiative: The Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) is committed to changing the narrative about race in America. Their mission is to end mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenge racial and economic injustice, and to protect basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.
- Donate to Race Forward: Race Forward brings systemic analysis and an innovative approach to complex race issues to help people take effective action toward racial equity.
As for me, “I'm starting with the man in the mirror, I'm asking him to change his ways. And no message could have been any clearer, if you want to make the world a better place… take a look at yourself, and then make a change.”
This message originally appeared on LinkedIn.
