Listening, Learning, and Acting Against Racism

The following communication was shared with Power TakeOff staff along with additional internal discussion around enacting long-term sustained improvements beyond this statement to contribute toward meaningful change.

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We want to acknowledge what’s happening in communities across America right now. Although our collective mission is centered around our fight against climate change, that does not dissolve or prevent us from also owning a duty and responsibility to stand for racial equality. Simply put, racism, discrimination and intolerance are unacceptable. While each of us has our own unique journey to learn and address implicit bias and racism, what we share is our commitment to make positive change in our communities and the desire and passion to support this critical and historic time in our society through a continuum of meaningful education and action. Although important strides have been made in our industry in recent years, it is important to acknowledge that the utility industry is not known for its diversity and inclusiveness, even though our work is primarily funded by the collective public regardless of race or class. More broadly, environmental issues such as pollution and toxic waste exposure also impact Black communities harder in the US.

Although we as a Company have always sought to support racial equality, we must face the reality that more (listening, learning, and acting) can and needs to be done to help foster growth in our communities and become a part of the solution rather than an unknowing contributor to underlying systemic injustice that has brought us to this point today.