International Day for Tolerance, A Letter From Our CEO

The United Nations proclaimed Monday, Nov. 16, as the International Day for Tolerance. The goal is to strengthen tolerance by fostering mutual understanding among cultures and peoples. In an age of political, racial and religious turmoil, it’s easy to see that tolerance is needed. Far too often, we have witnessed acts of violence and discrimination in the news or on social media. We all must work together as an organization, a community and a nation to overcome these injustices. We must support each other and be a positive influence.

This month would have marked the 151st birthday for Mahatma Gandhi, and likewise, International Day for Tolerance. Gandhi once said, “An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind,” citing tolerance as the key to harmony at home, at work and in our community.

Based on our recent Brooks Diversity, Equity and Inclusion survey, I am proud of the fact that our employees agree that different cultures and backgrounds are respected and valued at Brooks.

As an organization, we’ve committed to expanding our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (D,E &I) initiatives and some of our first steps include the following:

• Developing a D,E & I Council and thoughtfully including diversity, equity and inclusion as part of our strategic plan to highlight the importance to all of our stakeholders.
• Creating a talent management strategy with a focus on D,E & I that will include recruitment, school and community partnerships, career development and mentoring.
• Providing diversity training opportunities throughout our organization.

On this International Day of Tolerance, I am committed to ensuring that Brooks is a culturally diverse and open environment where we all are equal and treated with respect. We are better together.