It's Time to Act

The past few weeks have been difficult ones for our country. We are at a watershed moment, and we know that in order to change things, it's going to get uncomfortable for many. On June 2nd I wrote a blog post calling for an end to systemic racism and unfair policing practices, standing in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. If you haven't yet had a chance to read the blog post, please check it out.

Accountability

The truth is that publicly stating our position is just the beginning. We must back up our words with action. While Malbek may be a young and growing company, this is the perfect time to address issues of social justice and lay the groundwork for an inclusive and diverse work environment. To that end, let me share with you some of our intentions to support our words with deeds, and I am sharing them here in a public forum to hold ourselves publicly accountable for follow through. 

Donating

Malbek believes that one component of action should be financial giving and so we are making donations on behalf of each of our US employee to organizations supporting Black Lives Matter. Some of these organizations include the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Campaign Zero, and the ACLU. We are also encouraging every employee, if they are able, to make a personal donation to that same organization as well, and we have joined forces with one of our implementation partners, Oya Solutions, to deepen our contribution level.

Volunteering

Donating money is just a start. Another way we take a step for change is to volunteer our time to support this cause, and there are lots of ways to do that. Right now Malbek is providing time off for employees who wish to participate in protesting, rallying, or volunteering their time in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. We will also be providing time off for employees who wish to educate themselves by attending a course, workshop, or mentoring program designed to further the cause of racial equality. And we are encouraging our employees to talk with their children and help lay the groundwork for love and inclusivity with the next generation using resources like What Do We Tell Our Kids about Racism, Racial Violence, and Police Brutality.

Hiring

Malbek is committed to diversity in our hiring practices and will be actively recruiting new hires form organizations that support people of color in tech. We also plan to get involved with an organization, such as YearUp, that provides mentoring and internship programs to close the "Opportunity Divide by ensuring that young adults gain the skills, experiences, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through careers and higher education."

With each of these action items, we plan to periodically update you on how things are going, and we continue to keep our ears and hearts open for additional ways that we can deep our resolve to effect change.

It is so inspiring to see so many young and old, people of all colors taking a stand and being persistent to fight for the change that we badly need. We are open for ways on how we can double our effort in this regard and we also welcome the opportunity to partner with other startups and corporates to join forces on this important cause.