As a company, we are appalled and saddened about the recent tragic killing of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, David McAtee, and all the other African Americans who have been unjustly killed in our country. We stand with the recent protests and we support efforts to end police brutality and create a more fair and just society for all people, especially people of color.

We recognize that the racial problems we face as a society and as a world are widespread with no easy answers or quick fixes.

We also understand that these problems require every person and every company to speak up and do their part. So here’s what we as a company have decided to do:

African Americans are incarcerated in state prisons at more than five times the rate of whites, and at least ten times that rate in five states. Once out of prison, society makes reentry extremely difficult and recidivism rates have been shown to be as high as 76%.

Lacking economic opportunities, many formerly incarcerated turn back to crime. We believe that part of the answer to this cycle is education and entrepreneurship. As such, we’ve decided to launch a quarterly donation initiative to support the mission of Defy Ventures. Defy is a 501(c3) that works with former inmates to provide well-being, entrepreneurship, employment, and personal development training programs. By giving economic opportunities, Defy helps to break the cycle of incarceration and create a more fair and just world.

We recognize this is just one small step we’re taking as a company to address society’s problems around race and mass incarceration. But we’re committed to doing more, and we look forward to finding other ways to reduce racial inequality and give people that deserve them second chances.