TRC Community,
In a world grappling with COVID-19, the tragic events in Minneapolis and those that came before, restricted resources, economic disparities and biases, both conscious and unconscious – inequality becomes undeniable. TRC (We) understand that as a brand, an organization and a people, we need to be a part of the change. Equality is part of the foundation of this Company, it is part of our mission/vision and values and is written in our Corporate Code of Conduct and our Anti-Discrimination Policy. We are reaffirming these beliefs and our commitment to continue to build on our current and past actions and to do more. We also understand that it takes more than words….
Do we have all of the answers? No, we don’t, but we are committed to the continuing pursuit of them. And that is why we have spent the last days and weeks speaking to people across TRC. People of all colors, genders, ages, etc. Every member of the leadership team has reached out to their teams, their team’s teams, they have held meetings, made and welcomed calls and emails and had genuine conversations in pursuit of a better understanding of how TRC can have a truly lasting impact around Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) and equality for all. We have spoken about the foundation that TRC has built, a foundation which has provided measurable change for D&I within TRC but a foundation that we know we need to continue to build upon. We have done all of this so that we can empower people within TRC to help enact the change that is needed. We have been talking, strategizing and, ultimately, taking action.
Until now, we have chosen to remain silent externally. Perhaps you have noticed that every time the media covers a tragic loss of life in the black community, the voices are loud for a short time and then they fall silent and very little to no actual change happens. Hopefully, this time will be different–TRC wants to be different. We want to share our story, our actions, and continue to do so long after others may fall silent. It is our intent to make D&I a regular feature of our external conversation, just as we have begun to do internally. We will highlight our actions but to be able to do so, we must first act….
Let’s also remember that the foundation we have built is meant to support equality for ALL not one race, not one gender, not one age group but ALL people. We won’t always talk about the needs of the black community, sometimes we will talk about the needs of working mothers or we will celebrate Pride Month with the LGBTQ+ community. True equality only happens when you lift everyone up.
In the coming days, we will share more around our ongoing commitment. We will talk about the actions we have already taken, those in process and, as they begin to unfold, those we will take down the road. For now, on this Juneteenth 2020, I will simply say “We understand that the black community is hurting, we hear them, we hear you, and we are responding.”
Stay safe and be well,
Christopher P. Vincze
Chief Executive Officer