To The Bloomberg Family

Mike Bloomberg sent the following memo to global employees today.

To the Bloomberg family,

During the global pandemic, it has not been easy to read and watch the news. But it has been an especially difficult week here in the United States, where the news has gone from bad to worse. The video of a Minneapolis police officer killing an unarmed Black man, George Floyd, as he begged for his life was deeply disturbing and profoundly wrong. It was horrifying – sickening – to watch, and it came after other recent killings of innocent Black Americans that were also appalling.

I know these awful injustices have taken a toll on many people. Coupled with the disproportionate impact COVID-19 is having on African-Americans and Latinos, stress and anxiety levels are running high. Other communities, including Asians here in the U.S. and around the world, have also been dealing with the pain of racial bias and animus in recent months. I want you to know that you are not alone. We are here for you.

If you would like to speak about how these events are affecting you, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your Team Leaders and Managers, Human Resources or the Diversity and Inclusion Team. We are here to listen and support you. These are very difficult times, and the sense of family that has always been part of Bloomberg is more important than ever.

We must stand together in our condemnation of all bias and discrimination, and we must work together to address them wherever they appear. The outrage and anger that we feel about racism is critically necessary, but it must be channeled into organizing and working for change. When it leads to violence and vandalism, it only plays into the hands of those who condone discrimination, while also harming families and community leaders who stand with us in the battle against it. That’s the message civil rights leaders and activists have been delivering, and over the weekend, one of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ partners, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, spoke movingly about the importance of fighting injustice without destroying one’s own community.

As you know, nearly all of our company’s profits go to support Bloomberg Philanthropies, which works closely with cities to build stronger, healthier and more equal communities. So the work you do every day is helping to support mayors who are fighting racial injustice and bringing change to their communities.

The unfortunate reality is that the recent murders of Black Americans are not isolated incidents. They are part of a long history of racial injustice in the United States that is still with us. Today marks the 99th anniversary of the Greenwood Massacre in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in which white residents burned and leveled a thriving Black community, killing more than 200 people and plundering the wealth of middle-class Black families.

Tulsa is commemorating the occasion today, and I wanted to share with you the statement I had sent to the organizers. You can find it below. I also want you to know that we are exploring ways to pursue the goals of our Greenwood Initiative philanthropically, because the need for change is urgent and cannot wait.

Bloomberg is deeply committed to issues of racial equality in both our workplaces and in our communities, and the Management Committee is focused on ensuring that we build diverse and inclusive teams.

Together, we will continue working to bring much-needed change to the U.S. and the world. It’s up to all of us.

-Mike

Statement on the 99th Anniversary of the Greenwood Massacre:

“The story of Greenwood is not just one of the ugliest chapters in American history. It’s part of a 400 year history of racial oppression that systematically robbed generations of Black Americans of their labor and wealth and denied them an equal opportunity to pursue the American dream. That history, like the massacre at Greenwood, has been buried for far too long, and that needs to change.

“In 2019, I visited Tulsa to announce that the public art project developed by local leaders – including Mayor Bynum and the Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission, chaired by Senator Matthews – had won our foundation’s Public Art Challenge. We created the Challenge to help cities bring people together and address important issues. Tulsa’s proposal was especially inspiring, and we wanted to help bring it to life.

“Like most Americans, I had never been taught about Greenwood in school, and learning about it deeply affected me. During my campaign for president, when we decided to launch an ambitious agenda to grow Black wealth and increase the number of Black home owners and small business owners, I knew there was no better place to announce it than Tulsa. We called our agenda the Greenwood Initiative, and the morning I spent with Rev. Turner at Vernon Chapel AME Church, and the afternoon I spent with Tulsa residents at the Greenwood Cultural Center, was a powerful experience I will never forget.

“Our Greenwood Initiative was focused on righting historic wrongs, including reforming the criminal justice system. The recent killings of unarmed Black Americans – including in Georgia by vigilantes, and in Minnesota by police – are painful reminders of how essential and urgent this work is.

“As the people of Tulsa and all around the nation mark the 99th anniversary of the Greenwood massacre this weekend, let us all re-commit ourselves to the kinds of changes we need to make in our governments and communities to build a future – as I said in Tulsa earlier this year – where color and capital are no longer related, and where the promise of American equality rings true in every community.