Roundtable Releases Statement of Support to Address Racism [6.5.20]

Vermonters and Americans enjoy more freedoms, protections, and economic opportunities than almost anyone else in the world, yet these benefits are sadly not equally available to all of us because of pervasive racism in our country. There has never been and never will be any moral justification for racial injustice, yet it exists; a fundamental contradiction to our nation’s foundational value of equality for all. 

Systemic racial injustice is engrained in our economic, judicial, and societal systems. With the recent murder of George Floyd, all of us must make a courageous and unwavering commitment to confront racism wherever we find it and to provide all Americans access to the same benefits.

We, members of the Vermont Business Roundtable, collectively and fully support Governor Scott’s formation of the Racial Equity Task Force. We commit the resolve and energy of our individual organizations to support the initiatives of this Task Force. And as community leaders, we harshly condemn words and behaviors that diminish, marginalize, discriminate, or otherwise exclude people of any race or ethnicity. We will actively listen to those who feel threatened, oppressed, or marginalized due to their race or ethnicity, and seek to understand the corrective actions we must take for meaningful and permanent change. We believe that the greatest outcomes for our country, our economy, and our culture can be achieved by embracing and encouraging a diversity of ideas, people, perspectives, and beliefs.

When we act on our respect for all humanity and our commitment to opportunity and equality, we will improve our country and our culture and help to ensure a brighter future for us all.

 

The Vermont Business Roundtable

The Vermont Business Roundtable (Roundtable) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of CEOs from Vermont’s top private and nonprofit employers, representing geographic diversity and all major sectors of the Vermont economy. The Roundtable is committed to sustaining a sound economy and preserving Vermont’s unique quality of life by studying and making recommendations on statewide public policy issues. Learn more at www.vtroundtable.org.