Our thoughts on diversity, inclusion, and injustice
You might wonder why we waited so long to post about this. Truth is, we didn’t want our statement to be perceived as a knee-jerk, obligatory, disingenuous response – because we feel strongly about our values and always have, long before today’s equality movement erupted. But we realize that it IS important to communicate our stand, because we eschew and condemn the injustice and inequality that’s taking place – that has always taken place in this country. We did not rush to eagerly proclaim support of a movement or a series of causes that continues to morph by the minute without first understanding them better. We’ve taken time to educate ourselves and reflect on our values in order to be mindful and deliberate about this incredibly important issue, and we’re glad we did.
We’ve always been inclusive at Sonic Boom, and we’re proud to employ a significant number of minorities and LGBTQ+ Boomers (employees). We operate as a meritocracy, and are proud of our Boomers for who they are as individuals and for the incredible contributions they make to our company, our clients, and their communities, regardless of race, religion, sexuality, gender, or political views. The freedoms that protect us came at great cost and should be honored for everyone, regardless of the color of their skin.
Bryan and I are the co-founders of Sonic Boom, and we’re white – we can’t possibly empathize with the tragic pain, trauma, and discrimination that black people face, being treated with hatred and misguided, evil injustice. We can’t empathize, but we can and do sympathize with and support anyone who is impacted by these injustices. When Black Lives Matter began, our innocent, honest, albeit-naïve response was to ask ourselves, “don’t all lives matter?” And of course they do – that’s a given. But the people being treated with egregious injustice historically and right now are Black people, and that’s why BLM is an important movement toward real, positive change. We’re committed to being part of the solution – part of the change – that is necessary to make sure our world evolves to include and empower the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. We’ve also learned that there’s a difference between a movement or cause and a corporation. We’re careful to make that distinction.
These statements are tough to write, because it seems regardless of what someone says, there are always some people who will infer nefarious intent and criticize and judge. I wish our society would quit doing that. At Sonic Boom we believe everyone deserves respect and equal treatment, and we stand with everyone who is against hate, intolerance, racism, and abuse of power. We’re as determined as ever to operate as an actively anti-racist company, and one of our primary goals is to support and empower our Boomers to create change in a positive, productive manner, listening and taking peaceful, lawful action.