The Partners shared the message below with all employees. (Download PDF)
Dear Employees,
Over the past many weeks, we have all witnessed the heartbreaking and tragic events across our nation that are a result of racial inequality in the United States. Today we want to address our responsibility to become actively anti-racist and what Bold Ocean plans to do to promote social justice for our Black communities and all communities of color.
As a U.S. flag shipping company, Bold Ocean and our subsidiaries have an unwavering commitment to the United States of America, and we are proud of our work in peacetime and in crisis. Flying the American flag on our ships means we represent the American ideals of equality, and unbiased, just human rights.
Our core values are the heartbeat of our company and we must live those values. Our focus on integrity means we have to be honest and transparent about our beliefs and, more importantly, we must act on these beliefs. We cannot ignore the recent events of racism and the longstanding inequality and injustice that have afflicted our nation for centuries. We are committed to standing together with our employees, crew, and communities to build an equal and unprejudiced future for Black Americans and all persons of color in the United States.
We believe that Black Lives Matter and we need to do better in putting our beliefs into action. Bold Ocean is committing to change and is donating to the organizations below that are fighting racism and leading the way for social justice.
- NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund – https://www.naacpldf.org/
- Equal Justice Initiative – https://eji.org/about/
These are only some of the critical organizations leading the fight against institutional racism and we will also match employee donations to all organizations that are advancing social justice and combatting racial inequality (details to follow). In addition, moving forward we will invest in and require diversity and sensitivity training for all employees. We will actively speak out against bias and micro-aggressions in our own workplace. The change we need for our nation must start from within.
We are committed to listening and learning. We welcome all ideas, suggestions, and feedback as we combat racism and promote social justice and equality. It’s time to recognize these issues and do the work necessary to ensure the promise of this nation for every American.
In justice and solidarity,
Russell Paret, Keith Zelinsky, Christopher Hughes, and Carlos Damian