We recognize that this is a moment of deep hurt and anguish for millions of Black people across the country. Systemic racism, discrimination and injustice is a human rights crisis. We vow to be a voice and force for change.
EY is taking actions as a US firm to eradicate racism and discrimination against the Black community by leveraging our influence to drive strategic change in our firm, in the communities where we work, and through public policy. Understanding that we can do more to advance justice, inclusion and equity, we are committed to:
- Evaluating internal talent and business processes to further advance equity across race.
- Investing $3 million in organizations committed to fighting social injustices, including inappropriate use of force in law enforcement, incarceration of Black males, healthcare disparities and economic inequalities in the Black community. We will invest $1 million each in:
- The National Urban League (NUL)
- NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund (LDF)
- Allocation of $1 million in funding to our three regions and FSO, to be locally contributed in the communities in which we work and live
- Contributing a total of $4 million collectively to four Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to help increase the number of Black and African Americans in professional services. We will invest $1 million in each of the following HBCUs:
- Hampton University (Hampton, VA)
- Howard University (Washington, DC)
- Morehouse College (Atlanta, GA)
- Spelman College (Atlanta, GA)
- Leveraging our people resources and building coalitions of public and private organizations to bridge the Digital Divide distance-learning gap for underserved students.
- Expanding the launch of EY Entrepreneurs Access Network, our newly launched program focused on Black and Latinx entrepreneurs. The program leverages our significant Entrepreneur Of The Year™ (EOY) platform to help connect them to peers, sponsors, capital and customers.
- Using our powerful platform to drive policy change as well as lead actions for change in our communities with our vendors and others we do business with.
- Investing in our communities through employee volunteer programs and additionally declaring:
- August 28, 2020, as a day of service for any US professionals to participate in the March in Washington, D.C.
- Starting in 2021, EY will also begin observing Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a firm-wide paid holiday. US professionals can choose to participate in EY sponsored anti-racism activities throughout the year, including on MLK day if they desire.
“Public statements of outrage and condemnation are important, but wholly ineffectual if not accompanied by commitment to meaningful, sustained action. It’s not enough to not be racist – we need to be anti-racist,” said Kelly Grier, EY US Chair and Managing Partner and Americas Managing Partner. “This moment has ushered in a period of real change where we can take on the systemic racism, discriminations and injustices that persist.”
We have had a long-standing commitment, with both impact and actions, to cultivating a diverse and inclusive culture, and we know we have more to do to drive further, faster and with more sustainable change for our Black professionals and communities. A long history of injustice serves as a catalyst for us to accelerate and refocus, but lasting change will only come if we persevere through the quiet periods as well as the crises of the moment. We can and will contribute to the pace of change.
We will be guided by our values and we will hold ourselves accountable to the people, businesses and communities that we serve.
