It’s been hard to decide how to respond to the important protests that we have been witnessing over the last few weeks in the U.S. We, as a company, don’t want to shoulder our way into these events simply to declare, “Remember our brand during all of this!”
But we are also a member of the local, national, and global communities that we inhabit. We cannot separate ourselves from the events happening today because they directly affect our employees, our customers, and our partners. I feel that we have a responsibility to communicate to our employees, customers, and friends the core believes and values that our organization stands for and was founded on.
Though it was the tragic murder of one man – George Floyd – that has triggered the protests rocking the nation, we must acknowledge that his death is also only one link in an unutterably, unconscionable long chain of systemic bias against black people and other minorities, not just in this nation but across the world for centuries.
Hoffmann + Krippner stands with those who peacefully protest and with the communities seeking equality and justice in a world that has so often been arrayed against them. Equality and opportunity are values everyone at Hoffmann + Krippner holds dear. Racism and prejudice are destructive forces that will tear societies apart. Speaking as a German raised in the aftermath of the evils of the Nazi regime responsible for World War II, I know that first-hand. I grew up not too far from a wall that divided a country for decades.
To protest is a fundamental American and human right, and to push for the change we want to see is the only way to make the world a better place. What celebrated author James Baldwin wrote in 1960 remains true today: “There is never time in the future in which we will work out our salvation. The challenge is in the moment; the time is always now.”
Even in the middle of a viral pandemic and all the challenges that come with it, the world doesn’t stop turning, and all our other challenges don’t disappear. The answers on how to manage all these challenges and obstacles lies in the way we approach them here and now.
Just wishing for the world to be a better place is not enough. At Hoffmann + Krippner we like to say that we create harmony between man and machine. We also believe that’s not enough. Because we are a member of a larger community, if our work does not also facilitate, in some way, harmony between people, our job isn’t done. And change takes commitment, moral backbone, and – above all else – action.
We are donating to https://www.gofundme.com/f/gianna-floyd-daughter-of-george-floyd-fund today and encourage our employees, customers and friends to join in the effort in providing a meaningful future to Gianna Floyd.
Ultimately, the change we all want to see is only going to happen if we fearlessly stand up for our values and principles. Speaking for the team at Hoffmann + Krippner, we are striving for a world that is not divided into “me” and “you” but instead unified into “us.”
Only in “US” is the hope we are looking for! We, together, can be the change we need to see.
Sincerely yours,
Jens Kautzor
CEO, Hoffmann + Krippner Inc
