Taking a stand for a future that is not like the past

The Nebo Company stands as an organization of conscience in solidarity with Black communities and others around the world to condemn the structural, systemic and institutional racism and violence in the United States that has taken countless lives and which has resulted most recently in the horrific killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. We acknowledge the personal and real pain, grief, anger and frustration that many of our Black friends, family members, co-workers, and colleagues feel.

What happened to these innocent Americans is the result of a racist system built upon prejudice and oppression in place even before our country was established and then institutionalized through the laws and practices of our nation since then. As author Ibram X. Kendi, states: “When you have a society with racial inequity as the norm, to do nothing in the face of that norm is to allow that norm to persist.”

At Nebo, our mission and values call upon us to work diligently and ceaselessly for a world in which there is no place for racism or any form of oppression. We seek to support leaders and organizations to envision and create a world that is peaceful, just, equitable and compassionate. To do this, we and others must commit to lasting, transformative change. And that change begins within.

Drawing upon our values and leadership principles, Nebo recognizes that we are a majority-white company and must engage in honest, serious self-examination with attention to our practices and culture to ensure an experience where all feel recognized, respected and welcomed.

We shall redouble our efforts to listen and learn from each other, our community of practice and the organizations we serve, bringing intentional listening and respectful facilitation to convening conversations that foster understanding and growth. With a diverse talent pool of coaches and facilitators, we will bring forward leadership programs and experiences that benefit people of color, supporting them in bringing their voices and talents to leadership roles, and helping to disassemble systemic barriers to success. We hold ourselves accountable to learn and model how to hear, see and understand the stories and experiences of others with compassion, humility, respect and openness. We will notice the stories that are not being told and seek to hear and support their telling.

Our work with envisioning the future directs us to improve and innovate our processes to incorporate safe space for exploration of the injustice, oppression and disparities of the past; a clear, unwavering look at the present, and a methodology for envisioning the future that is inclusive, inviting perspectives that can lead to equity and justice in our organizations and our communities.

We apply these efforts towards Nebo’s vision of a more peaceful, harmonious, equitable and sustainable world. We will report back to you periodically on our work and on-going plan of action. We invite you to join us in engaging with and supporting anti-racist work.

With humility and commitment to a future that is not like the past,

The Nebo Team