Black lives matter. At Roundtrip, we are devastated by the deaths of Rayshard Brooks, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, and too many others. Recent events have highlighted the painful history of racial violence and discrimination in the United States and the lack of sufficient progress in the world we live in today. We are infuriated at the systemic injustice faced by our Black colleagues, friends, and family. That said, words and performative allyship is not enough.
Diversity and Inclusion have been a priority of our organization from the beginning. However, we must also focus on creating equity to disrupt the status quo. This comes with the responsibility to not just acknowledge, but to join in the fight to tackle inequities in both our business and in healthcare. It is time for a response that is anti-racist — action that is ongoing, rather than episodic — built into the foundation of our company priorities and day-to-day lives.
Here is what we, at Roundtrip, are committing to do:
Address Racism and the Role We Play in the Problem
- We are listening to our Black colleagues, friends, and family. We commit to ongoing education, learning more about the history and continued epidemic of racism in the United States. We are reading articles and books, and challenging ourselves to broaden our perspective.
- White privilege, implicit bias, and microaggressions contribute to exclusionary environments. We commit to talking about race and how racism manifests in our organization, industry, and local communities through ongoing, regular dialogues.
Turn Inwards and Evaluate How We Can Break the Cycle
- Today, our leadership team is 0% Black, 17% LGBTQ, 33% People of Color, and 50% Female-Identifying. Our leadership team does not yet reflect our population or broader team. We are conducting an internal audit on our policies, procedures, and practices and committing to developing equitable hiring and retention efforts for all employees, board members, and leadership positions.
- We plan to publish an annual Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion report to share where we are as a company and inform how we can improve, with the specific goal of transparently sharing best practices and holding ourselves accountable to them.
- We will prioritize Black leaders in our industry and community at our monthly Fireside Chats and highlight their stories.
Leverage Our Company to be a Catalyst for Change
- We will support community organizers through our company-wide volunteer days, make it seamless to participate in donation programs, and focus on partnerships that empower underrepresented Black business owners.
- At Roundtrip, our mission is to eliminate transportation as a barrier to care and to drive better health outcomes. Racial health disparities are exacerbated by inequities in access to high-quality healthcare. In upholding the sanctity and value of Black lives, we are committed to ensuring equitable access to care for those who have been historically marginalized and disenfranchised. We know that greater change is needed than simply getting to the doctor, but we are doing our part by making sure that everyone can get to the care they need. In the meantime, we’re doubling-down on our mission, leveraging our transportation network, health policy discussions, ride data, and health insights to expand access to healthcare and wellbeing to everyone in need.