OOB-BLACK LIVES MATTER
Hello OOB Family,
We are pausing our regular newsletter to honor and mourn the life of George Floyd, and grieve the deaths of others in the Black community that have been taken too soon because of the color of their skin. We are mourning for our country, and we are taking stock of what we need to do to help end systemic racism.
We stand with the peaceful protesters across the country. We believe change needs to happen. We believe Black Lives Matter. We are listening and learning, and determined to become more aware of our own complicity, as individuals and as a company.
As an African-American owned business we are taking steps to address things:
First, we are listening to the Black community. We want to have a deep understanding of their experiences and pain.
Second, we are learning. We are committed to reading books, listening to podcasts, doing everything we can to fill any gaps in our knowledge about systemic racism.
Third, we as a company are committed to making the changes we need to make in order to become more inclusive, to be more supportive of the Black community, and to do our part to end systemic racism.
We want you to know that we are committed to doing this work for the long-haul. This historic time in our country calls for more than just a company statement, or a few social media posts or podcasts. We know this will be hard work, and will take time, and will require uncomfortable conversations. That is the necessary and just price of progress, which we willingly accept.
And, we know we will make mistakes. But we will learn from those mistakes and keep going.
We hope you will join us in this fight for justice, progress, and equality. If you’re interested in taking action but don’t know how to engage, here are some resources to consider:
Donate to Black Lives Matter
Learn—read a book, brush up on history, become an ally, and take action to address police violence.
Also, we’d love to hear from Black volleyball players and coaches in our community. We are creating a space here on our blog for you to tell us about yourself, share your experience as a Black player or coach, or share anything else you want us to know. We want to listen and support you.
#TeamOOB, together, let’s make a difference!!