Today we celebrate 14 years. We’re grateful for our clients and proud of our team for all the work we’ve accomplished and the company we’ve built together. 

As we look to the future, it is vital that we work towards one free of discrimination, hatred, and systemic inequality. As protests continue across the country in response to police brutality and the death of George Floyd, the Barrel team unequivocally stands in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement in the fight against white supremacy and racism. 

There is a lot of work to be done, not just in times of upheaval, but every day. Our Black communities have suffered greatly from systemic disadvantages and institutional racism. We are sad and outraged. Things need to change, and we can’t sit idly.

We will revisit our hiring practices to ensure that we are doing the best we can to hire for diversity, because we truly believe that bringing people of different backgrounds and perspectives together makes for a stronger team. We can do a much better job in attracting and providing opportunities for Black candidates.

We will commit $5,000 to organizations fighting racial injustice and protecting Black Americans from white supremacy and racial violence. We will be donating to Equal Justice Initiative, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and Black Lives Matter.

Lastly, we believe understanding history is important. We will send every Barrel employee a copy of Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, the founder of EJI who tells the story of racial injustice in America and his fight to help those wrongly convicted by racist law authorities.

We’re committed to listening, learning, educating, and supporting. We encourage our friends and colleagues to join us. There’s work to be done.