Yesterday our multicultural resource group, MOSAIC, shared a message with the Loomis Sayles community that conveyed the pain recent events have caused and also offered ways for everyone to help and self-educate. In reading it, I realized that I could not wait for my normal Friday correspondence to express my appreciation for MOSAIC’s outreach and to share my thoughts during this very difficult time.
Every truly successful community must support and invest in diversity, equity and inclusion for all of its members. It is critical for each of us to act with empathy for our fellow citizens, be self-aware about our own behaviors, and strive to better understand the social issues and structural inequalities that challenge our society.
The past few weeks have been incredibly challenging for our country and deeply painful for the Black Community. The unjust killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, as well as the racist confrontation in Central Park perpetrated by a member of the investment management community, bring into sharp focus how much work is needed to build a more equitable society. For many of us, we do not think twice when going about our daily activities. For people of color, often those same activities require calculating risk.
We are also witnessing how the spread of COVID-19 continues to disproportionately impact these same communities. In March, we committed major gifts to Boston Medical Center and the Greater Boston Food Bank with this in mind, as these two organizations do frontline work supporting some of the most vulnerable members of our community in Boston. In partnership with MOSAIC and the Giving Committee, we also plan to make additional contributions to national and local organizations dedicated to the cause of racial justice over the next week. These contributions seek to reinforce our values.
We know that many of you are struggling with how to process these events. We are committed to fostering an environment where all employees are represented, respected, valued and heard, and we encourage you to reach out to us with questions and suggestions on how we can improve. MOSAIC has moved that dialogue forward. I encourage all of you all to take it to heart.
Over the coming days and weeks, you can expect additional communications outlining opportunities to have candid and continued conversations about these issues. HR and MOSAIC are currently working on a platform where these discussions, concerns and ideas can be shared. We will also continue to provide support to the communities so greatly affected where we live and work across the country.
Kevin P. Charleston
Chairman & CEO
