“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.”
Martin Luther King Jr.

Together we mourn the deaths of George Floyd, Rayshard Brooks, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and so many others. We stand in solidarity with their families and their communities.

The 3,500 members of Associated Industries of Massachusetts join with those who seek to create a just and equitable society for our Commonwealth and for our country. These tragic events, together with the impact of COVID-19 on people of color, manifest historic racial and ethnic disparities that must be addressed.

We must understand the weight of this moment in history and the responsibility it presents to engage in open and meaningful conversations – to listen to our colleagues, employees, and community members of color for the betterment of all.

The world of tomorrow cannot look like the world of today.

AIM is committed to taking action.

• We will support public policy that addresses racial discrimination.
• We will support individuals of color in business, particularly by encouraging the formation and continued success of businesses they own.
• We will meet with AIM members who are Black and brown to listen to what they expect from AIM and to develop a plan in response.
• We will gather our members to learn from one another on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• We will establish a formal program to encourage our members to be intentional in supporting businesses owned and operated by individuals of color.
• We will be an ally to organizations seeking economic and social justice for people of color.
• We will continue our efforts to create a diverse and inclusive organization that represents the full variety of businesses and business people in Massachusetts.
• We will hire and promote people of color into senior leadership positions.
• We will maintain and expand our internal training in unconscious bias.

The issues before us today define who we are as a people and as a business community. They are ingrained in our individual and collective identities as a nation.  But with challenge comes opportunity. We must stop, reflect, educate, and change ourselves and the world around us.

AIM believes that business is a force for positive change and that our mission to strengthen the Massachusetts economy represents one step to ensuring a better life for everyone.

I urge the members of AIM and the business community to join us in committing to act now.

John Regan is President and CEO of Associated Industries of Massachusetts.