The Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and Staff stand united with business and community leaders in denouncing racism and promoting a more equitable future.
The crescendo of high-profile, racially charged incidents over the past year, both locally and nationally, has left many members of our community enraged, confused, and dejected. Today we share our sincere condolences with the family and friends of Mr. George Floyd, Ms. Breonna Taylor, Mr. Ahmaud Arbery, Ms. Sandra Bland, and the families that have been impacted by high and low-profile incidents in our own community and elsewhere.
Business Leaders.
We ask you to be open-hearted and empathetic; to have conversations about the harsh realities of inequity, including difficult and uncomfortable conversations about race. We ask you to commit to loudly denounce injustice and to compassionately give and accept feedback when equity is compromised in your companies. We further encourage you to adopt Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) policies, including promoting DE&I committees within your organizations.
Upon assuming her position as President and CEO last year, Kaylin Risvold immediately implemented a new Chamber DE&I Committee, led by Kim White. The Chamber and its DE&I committee are dedicated to assisting our community’s businesses, non-profits, schools, and other organizations to move forward with concrete solutions – please reach out to us if you need resources or would like to share best practices.
To be clear, we do not conflate the worst behavior of a group of individuals with the overwhelming mass of community members promoting solidarity, equity, and justice last week. We intentionally resist the temptation to give attention to the few that seek to dilute that message.
We recognize, acknowledge, and celebrate that Black Lives Matter.
This statement is the first step in a journey for us all to do better and be better. Pledge to join NACC, City, and Community leaders on Monday, June 29 at 10:00 am for a listening session on how we can effect lasting change. Register at https://naper.cc/listening_session.
Pledge to support a continued conversation about change, and to be part of that much-needed change. Thank you for supporting our efforts to make the Naperville area a more equitable community.