“It’s important to recognize that each of our Black teammates is unique in how they think, feel, process and operate,” Kim Vu, global head of diversity, equity and inclusion at money transfer company Remitly, said. “So we make room for however our Black teammates want or need to show up.”
Vu said she recognizes that everyone’s affected differently by acts of violence against Black Americans, protests against racial injustice or even everyday life as a person of color in this country. She said that she and other leaders at Remitly aimed to strengthen the company’s allyship with the Black community both internally and on the ground.
Part of being an ally, she said, means giving Black team members the spaces and resources to help them feel more comfortable inside and outside the workplace.
Black employees, for example, are encouraged to take mental health days when they need to. They can also participate in Black-only healing circles offered by the company’s health care partner, she said. Partnerships with organizations like Afrotech and Future for Us provide opportunities for Black employees to engage with the community.
Vu said the company’s ongoing allyship efforts are based on homework its leaders are doing, in addition to feedback from Black employees and other Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) in the community. The results of leadership’s work to connect with minority groups and curb racism are evident through their implementation of the inclusion platform Crescendo, the creation of engagement guides for allies, and donations to local and national orgs that support Black people.
What steps is your company currently taking to support racial justice and equality?
With aid and resources provided by leadership and staff across the organization, we activate in a number of ways to support racial justice and equality in the global and local communities we serve. We created activation guides for employees that include different ways to engage, regardless of where an individual employee may be on their anti-racism learning journey. We offer Crescendo, a diversity and inclusion micro-learning tool that delivers individually-focused weekly content via Slack. Employees can use it to learn about topics like Black allyship.
We host “days of learning” and other action events, where every employee has company time to learn, volunteer and advocate. Remitly contributed funds toward national organizations like the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the ACLU, as well as local orgs like Black Visions Collective in Minneapolis, Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle and Choose 180 in Seattle. And to activate our employees in civic engagement, we hosted workshops on how to follow the lead of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) voices to inform how we advocate, petition and vote.
Our actions continue to be guided by doing our own homework.”
What is your company doing to support and empower Black team members, both inside and outside the office?
We’re all doing our part to respond to the needs of the Black community as a whole. But it’s important to recognize that each of our Black teammates is unique in how they think, feel, process and operate. So we make room for however our Black teammates want or need to show up. We encourage taking time off for mental wellness and provide access to counseling or Black-only healing circles through our mental health partner, Modern Health. There are opportunities to amplify Black voices through our Black@Remilty employee affinity group and diversity Slack channels. Our teammates also lead company-wide workshops and talks.
Additionally, we invest in elevating our Black teammates by providing opportunities to develop, connect, network and share their experiences through partnerships with organizations like Afrotech and Future for Us.
How have you worked to ensure your actions are meaningful and in alignment with the needs of the Black community?
Our actions continue to be guided by doing our own homework to understand what Black communities need from allies. We will persist in connecting with our BIPOC community partners and receiving feedback from our Black teammates.
