CEO Column

Thoughts on George Floyd

This is the final issue of our newsletter that you will receive before SWANApalooza takes place on June 22-25. As you probably know, we’ve converted the conference scheduled to take place in Atlanta in late March into a superb interactive virtual event. I originally planned to write a column highlighting many of the great sessions and speakers, encouraging all of you to register for it.

However, there are more important things than marketing a conference.

On May 25, George Floyd was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis. The police officer placed his knee on George Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes. Mr. Floyd asked for his mother before becoming unconscious and dying. I suspect most of you have seen the video, as well as the protests, marches, and destruction that took place over the past few weeks.

On June 4, I sent a message to the SWANA staff, and I want to share it with you:

We are at an extraordinary moment. 

The senseless and brutal killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, which followed the recent deaths of Breonna Taylor, in Louisville, Kentucky, shot in her own bed; Ahmaud Arbery, shot while jogging near Brunswick, Georgia; and far too many others, reinforces the unfair and obvious truth that African Americans throughout the United States remain far too vulnerable to senseless violence and racism.

Because we are all intricately connected by our common humanity, when one segment of our community is hurting, we must all respond.

The status quo is simply not acceptable. We must do better, and lean into addressing the conditions and attitudes that led to George Floyd’s death, both individually and collectively. I urge all SWANA members and staff to work together constructively to overcome the racial, economic, and other barriers that divide us, not just at this moment of crisis, but every day.

Our industry includes many African Americans, and in a lot of locations, the vast majority of the front-line personnel are African-American. I am also well aware of the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on minority communities.

As we reflect on the events of the past few weeks, let’s figure out how to overcome the barriers – explicit or implicit – that divide us and keep all of us from reaching our full human potential. What role can SWANA play in accomplishing this critical task? Please send your thoughts and suggestions to me at dbiderman@swana.org.

Would I like many of you to register for SWANApalooza? Of course. But what I really want is to look my children and future grandchildren in the eyes, tell them about America’s response to George Floyd’s tragic death, and have them be proud that, to quote Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we helped bend the arc of the moral universe towards justice.