Written by: Tessie Tzavaras Catsambas

To Our Friends and Colleagues,

Like many of you, all of us at EnCompass are reeling from the events of the last 2 weeks. The violent murder of George Floyd has ignited a long overdue call for the United States to address the systemic racism and racial divisions in our country. EnCompass stands in solidarity with the protesters and all who are joining the call for justice that echoes throughout the United States and beyond. At this critical and historic turning point for our country, we at EnCompass call for the country, our company, and each of us individually to be agents of change.

Standing up for positive social change is central to the mission of EnCompass. Inclusion, human rights, and equality are foundational values for our company and the work we do with communities around the globe. In our 20-year history, we have worked extensively on these topics all over the world; yet, we recognize that we have not done enough to make a positive difference on these issues here, in the United States. We are ready to do more to challenge racism in all its forms and seek justice for Black Americans and all people of color.

Change starts and takes root where we live. Last year, EnCompass began a diversity, equity, and inclusion assessment to look critically at our own organizational culture, practices, and systems, and uncover how we might do better. Since the death of George Floyd, we have launched internal learning community activities, including a gathering space for people of color on our staff, a workshop on white privilege, and an all-staff townhall to invite recommendations for further action, including ways to focus on racial justice in our community. Immediately, EnCompass is establishing a fund to provide support to two of the many organizations on the front lines—Black Lives Matter and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. We recognize there is more for us to do and are working with our EnCompass colleagues on the way forward.

Sustainable change requires that everyone involved embrace the need for it and understand our role in the problem as well as our responsibility for the solution. We know this will take time and we are in it for the long haul. We are ready to take on that challenge and invite you to join us.

Tessie Catsambas

This post was published on June 8, 2020.