To the Community:
The murder of George Floyd is an American tragedy—and a clarion call.
Knightsbridge Park is squarely on the side of justice and freedom from brutality and all modes of oppression. But freedom from harm can only be the beginning of the discussion: the discussion must address how to lift up the marginalized, how to remedy past evils, and how to create a truly equitable future for all communities. At this moment, we are committed foremost to listening to communities of color, whose voices have been stifled for too long. And we must all partake in meaningful conversations about systemic change, questioning the status quo, and, indeed, our own assumptions.
But we also feel that words are not enough; action is required by all equitably minded small businesses. We are, thus, working with the Knightsbridge Park team to devise a multipoint plan to do our part in effecting change. Each working group’s roadmap will be different, but some of the immediate steps Knightsbridge Park is taking include:
- Listening to feedback, both internally and externally, and filling in our own gaps in knowledge and understanding
- Amplifying underrepresented voices in the real estate, design, architecture, digital, and artistic communities in which we operate
- Making financial contributions to various community justice groups, including Campaign Zero (dedicated to improving police practices); The Loveland Foundation (empowering communities of color, especially women and girls); Equal Justice Initiative (focusing on criminal justice reform, racial justice, and education); and BEAM (Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective)
- Matching employee contributions to social justice organizations
- Creating an internal Diversity + Inclusion Task Force, open to all team members
- Consulting with our HR team to better incorporate issues of diversity, sensitivity, and inclusion into everyday corporate practice, as well as hiring processes
- Advising our clients—and any other interested parties—on the lessons we pick up along the way
We are also proud of our individual team members who are doing their part to spread awareness and education about anti-racism, including Colin Athens, who compiled a resource center full of articles, BIPOC-owned businesses to support, books, and so much more. We encourage you to check it out here.
This is a process, not an overnight solution. But together, individuals, community organizations, businesses, and other groups must come together and powerfully proclaim:
“Never again.”
In solidarity,
Jared Seeger and Justin Kitrosser