To our colleagues, That racism still exists in America in 2020 is incomprehensible and shameful. As an eight-year-old living in Alabama in the early 1960s, I saw systemic racism all around me. I attended a segregated school. I watched the deadly Selma to Montgomery march on TV, happening only thirty-five miles away. I watched from my friend’s second-story window as Martin Luther King, Jr. marched through our town in support of civil rights. There was a demand that racism end, and a hope that it would. Yet here we are 55 years later, and racism is still as imbedded as it ever was. In only the past few weeks we have been reminded repeatedly that bigotry and racism are all around us and black men and women continue to pay the price for it.
- The senseless killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
- The racist confrontation with birder Christian Cooper in New York’s Central Park.
- Jogger Ahmaud Arbery’s confrontation and killing in Georgia.
- EMT worker Brionna Taylor’s killing in Louisville.
These continued instances and others make me sad and angry. I share the frustration felt by people of color, and I am here to tell you that we will not tolerate racism or bigotry in any form at Access Sciences. We stand in solidarity with the fight against systemic racism and injustice. We have a diverse community of employees, we draw strength from that diversity, and we all share a responsibility to do our part to overcome bigotry in any form. Thank you, Steve E. Erickson President & CEO, Access Sciences
