Dear NextRoll Community,

At precisely the time when it is critical that we speak up, I find myself struggling for adequate words to address the enormity of all that has transpired these past two weeks. Some have referred to the events sparked by the killing of George Floyd as a “movement”.  I like to believe that this is even bigger. That this is, as referenced by author and activist Layla Saad, the ushering in of “a new era”.

While I don’t have all the answers, I believe each of us individually and each of us as members of a larger society must hold ourselves accountable to listen, learn and act. I thank the hundreds of Rollers who participated in our internal events last week; the training, town halls, assistance in compiling educational resources, those who joined in fundraising for the NAACP and bail relief funds, those who learned, those who listened and—most importantly—those colleagues most impacted who shared their experiences and voices with us.

As we usher in this new era, our actions must be sustained beyond the news cycles. To that end, the NextRoll executive leadership team is working to implement long-lasting actions to ensure NextRoll will contribute to the type of future we believe we must help to create. We promise to continue to make changes in our organization to become part of the solution.  There are many layers to this solution and changes won’t happen overnight, it will take constant learning, discussion, evaluation, and action from all of us to truly make an impact. While we won’t announce new initiatives today, know that we are diligently exploring sustained ways to support the Black community outside of our company and will share more soon. 

In the interim, we know that silence is unacceptable and we commit to sustained action.  We will continue to make space for difficult and meaningful conversations around race within our company.   We will continue to listen and amplify the voices of our Black Employee Resource Group, RollDeep, and to ensure our Black Rollers feel safe at the company.  And we will continue to equip our employees with resources to educate themselves, their friends, and their families on how to dismantle the racist systems that pervade our society.  

We must do better. We will do better. 

I hope you will join us.

Toby Gabriner