Solidarity is good, but action is better

For far too long, racial injustices have prevented the advancement of minorities in all parts of our society. The Black community in this country continues to fight a centuries-long battle for equal rights. At this moment, it is no longer enough to just stand in solidarity with our Black friends and family as they go through yet another gut-wrenching cycle of inequality and violence. We unequivocally believe Black Lives Matter and we need to take action as a company.

This has been a time of introspection for me, as a human being, as the founder and CEO of AppZen, and as a minority in this country. I’ve taken some time to think about what meaningful action is for AppZen and to ensure we do not make empty promises.

I believe being humble is the first step for me and for the AppZen team. We are a young company and have a lot to learn. With that in mind, we have opened a company-wide dialog to get the team’s input on what actions we can take. We started by voting on and investing in organizations that are working on behalf of the Black community:

• ACLU
• Black Girls Code
• Black Earth Farms
• Campaign Zero

We are also initiating a program that takes a new approach toward our recruiting process to ensure we reach the most diverse pool of candidates. Our aim is to create the same composition of races, genders, sexual orientations, religions, and walks of life that make up this country.

As a company, we are far from perfect but we are committed to learning and ensuring AppZen is positively contributing to the community through action. We know we have a long way to go, so we will be updating this blog every quarter to report back on our diversity programs. We want to be accountable in making this a truly inclusive company. As a team, we will be transparent about our successes and shortcomings because anything less hurts our colleagues, customers, and society.

Best,

Anant Kale,
AppZen CEO