Company Statement regarding George Floyd and incidents of police brutality

The Shift Network is a transformational educational company committed to creating a better world, one in which racism, injustice, and prejudice have no place.

Thus, we stand unequivocally with those who have been oppressed, particularly those of Black and African descent who have long faced unequal treatment, police brutality, and systemic injustice.

Enough is enough. It was never in any way acceptable, and can no longer be tolerated to violently oppress, marginalize, or diminish others based upon race, culture, or membership in any group. We cannot solve the considerable challenges we face when we do not have the genius of all people at the table. It’s time to make appropriate amends and reparations for the past and to forge stronger partnerships to create a world that works for all. 

To our BIPOC community members, we see you, hear you, respect you, and acknowledge the struggles you’ve had to face and the obstacles you’ve had to surmount. We also honor your diversity of experiences — your joy, creative expression, and grief — as acts of resistance and resilience. We recognize that your hard-earned wisdom is essential now. 

To our white community members, we honor any ways that you’ve attempted to undo centuries of white supremacy programming within yourself and your community, and invite you to make a still deeper commitment to go further in your listening, your unraveling of old programming, and your actions of support.

We recognize the necessity of transforming not just our consciousness, but the societal, institutional, and cultural conditions that have actively created unjust systems — and we commit ourselves to working as an organization to raise awareness, change laws, and shift beliefs, behaviors, and patterns of culture that contribute to oppression. We commit to being a company that embraces diversity, inclusion, and equity. 

We don’t pretend to be experts, but are committed to the journey and to working alongside the millions of allies who refuse to be silent or complicit in any way. We acknowledge the deep suffering behind the current wave of protests, and will do our part to bridge divides, create opportunities, call out abuse, and end oppression in all its forms. 

May we approach this time as one in which we bear witness to the surfacing of long-festering traumas, mourn the loss of Black and Brown lives, and move forward with healing, increased understanding, and a commitment to redesign our world in a just and equitable way.