Hilltoppers,
I want to take a moment to acknowledge the recent conviction of former officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of an unarmed black man, George Floyd. I know that some may find this a difficult moment to celebrate. A man lost his life and another will be imprisoned. However, we must acknowledge the impact of Mr. Floyd’s murder, which sent a shockwave around the world. While the conviction of Derek Chauvin offers some small sense of justice for the family and friends of Mr. Floyd, it doesn’t mean an end to the work that needs to continue for us if we hope to confront and overcome the devastating impacts that centuries of structural injustice, bias, and discrimination has on us, our society, and even Hilltop. His death added a sense of urgency to our efforts at Hilltop. It also helped shine a light on how much work we needed to do to truly address racism and discrimination… and that work continues today.
Our efforts to overcome bias require each of us to take a hard look in the mirror and embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion in everything we do. We must seek to understand how our own biases impact the way we treat others, even when we aren’t aware that we are treating each other differently. We may have very good intent and yet still send a message that we don’t value our coworkers, participants and residents. Ultimately, we must demonstrate a willingness to challenge one another and embrace uncomfortable conversations if we are to create an inclusive work environment. We must also truly listen to one another. Let’s all take a moment to check-in with each other and gauge how this moment is impacting us, our team members, and those we serve. Only through listening can we demonstrate our commitment to understanding our individual experiences.
Please join me in committing to creating an organization that is diverse, inclusive and equitable. I know that if we operate in good faith and remain open to help each other learn and grow that we will succeed. Together, we can demonstrate and uphold our mission; People First: making a difference one individual at a time.
– Will Hays
Chief Operating Officer
