Animoto is a company made up of individuals who are deeply saddened, frustrated, and enraged by the systemic oppression of the Black community. We are struck by the tragic and unjust murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and far too many more.
Our inaction as a society has led to our current reality. So today, we stand as visible and firm allies to Black lives. We take a stance against racism, violence, and injustice. In the words of Andréa Ranae, “Anti-racism work is not an identity or a checklist; it’s a practice.” We want to make this practice a part of our everyday work forever. As part of this effort, we’d like to share where we stand, and how we’re turning our words into action.
We stand with the Black Lives Matter movement. We stand in allyship with Black communities. We stand in solidarity with our Black teammates at Animoto. We stand firmly against the widespread systemic oppression of Black lives.
We acknowledge we have not done enough. As both individuals and as a company, we recognize we must do more to speak out against racism. We will speak out against the silencing of Black voices. We will speak out against the devaluing of Black lives. We will be vocal in our support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
We will unite as a team to take actionable steps towards justice and equality for the Black community. We will hold each other accountable to anti-racist action by continually supporting and challenging each other. We are dedicated to working together to eradicate systemic racism in our society.
Because we know words are never enough, a critical part of our allyship is real, tangible action. We will continue to encourage ongoing conversation, and make efforts to use our platform in support of this cause. Here is where we’re starting.
Providing free Professional accounts. We believe video can plant the seeds for true, meaningful change. We think it can change minds. That’s why we’re providing non-profits with free Professional accounts to help amplify the movement, and elevate Black voices.
Sharing our resources. In support of this cause, we are donating to the Black Lives Matter Movement and NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
Encouraging dialogue with templates. To stand by our promise of allyship, our team is starting by creating video templates designed to encourage open, peaceful, anti-racist communication and action. We’ve started with the following templates: Dos and Don’ts for Organizing a Community Event, Suggested Reading List, Non-profit List, Call-to-Action Quote.
Educating ourselves. We believe deeply honest discourse on a micro level can change the tide. To that end, we are introducing company-wide anti-racism learning and development workshops. The workshops will include intensive training and education around allyship and inclusion.
Training our team. We will all take Harvard's Implicit Bias test in an effort to own our biases and be committed to act with purpose and change. We will continue to participate in unconscious bias training. This will be an integral part of our employee education, including interview, management, and new hire training.
The task at hand – to eradicate systemic racism in America – is daunting. What can I do to make a difference? What can Animoto do to make a difference? To create lasting change it will take time and an unwavering commitment from the vast majority of Americans and corporations. But we all must do our part, even if our part feels infinitesimally insignificant in the broader context of the Black Lives Matter movement.
I stand with our employees at Animoto as we work to turn our outrage into action. This is just the beginning; we will continue finding tangible ways to contribute in the future to help amplify the movement and elevate Black voices.
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