We Stand in Solidarity with the Black Community

The death of George Floyd and the actions against Christian Cooper, underscore a reality that generations of Black Americans know all too well – racism, inequality and fear can be commonplace in everyday life. But that reality does not exist for some of us, and it should not exist for any of us. It’s not fair. And it’s not right.

To our Black employees, and all people of color in our communities, we proudly say: we support you, we believe in you, and we stand in solidarity with you.

In our world and in our workplaces, our humanity and our differences create richness in relationships and lead to the best outcomes. Unfortunately, this is not a universal belief or practice.

Let us be clear, we at Hershey stand for the values of togetherness, inclusion and equality. We will continue to listen, learn, and act in line with those values, including:

• Upholding our long-standing commitment to inclusion practices across our workforce
• Strengthening each other’s understanding and advocacy of our Black teammates and their careers
• Offering more resources to help people deal with the emotional impact of racism
• Providing training and support so that our people are stronger supporters of the Black Community
• Pledging $250,000 and other resources to long-standing and new partners to actively fight systemic racism such as the Equal Justice Initiative, NAACP ACT-SO, and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. This is in addition to our other previous and ongoing work with other inclusive organizations.

We have a lot to understand and more to do, but we are resolute in our commitment to make a difference and be part of a positive change.

We look forward to sharing updates on our efforts in the days and weeks to come.

Michele Buck

President and CEO, The Hershey Company