The events that have unfolded in the United States over the last few weeks have left us all outraged, sad, exhausted, and hungry for change. Racism and discrimination have no place in our society. Yet recent events have shown that we’re far from our ideal of an equitable world. Systemic biases and inequities have existed in our society for years. This needs to change, and there is work for all of us to do.
Today, we mourn together for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and far too many others whose names should not be forgotten. Springboard stands with our Black community, and with everyone, regardless of race, gender, or creed, who is working towards justice, towards social equity, and towards improving global inclusion.
Springboard was founded with the mission to improve access to education to transform people’s lives. Our team and communities carry out this mission daily to play our part in creating a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace, and thus, the society of the future. Today we stand even stronger with that same commitment. We will continue to fight hard to ensure the outcomes we strive to achieve for our students result in a world that is deeply rooted in belonging for all. We don’t see an alternative.
We recognize the emotional and mental burden associated with processing the current events. For our students, we will offer accommodations for those who need to take a break from their studies. For our mentors, we will provide any additional support needed to carry out the incredible work they do to drive our students towards the finish line every day. We may not have the perfect solutions right away, but we will ensure we have an environment in which all our students can achieve their full potential.
We know that change starts from within, and awareness is the first step. As a starting point, we are committing that every member of our global team will undergo training on unconscious bias. We are committed to learning more, and to applying our teams and resources to do more around racial inequality in the coming weeks and months. During this time, we encourage our community to listen, to reflect, and to explore ways to contribute to and drive change. We are hopeful for a future where we will look back at the unfortunate events of the past few weeks as a turning point in the fight for racial equity.
Parul Gupta & Gautam Tambay
Co-Founders of Springboard
