TIBCO Celebrates Black History Month with Leading Guest Speakers and Wellness Initiatives
Blog: The Tibco Blog
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BLADE (Black, Latinos, and Allies Driving for Equity) is TIBCO’s employee-led resource group that supports and advocates for Black and Latino team members. “We do this through educational activities, events, community-building, and conversations, sometimes difficult ones,” said Elijah Ross, HR Analytics & DEI Analyst with TIBCO, and BLADE co-chair.
Highlighting Black Health and Wellness
For Black History Month, BLADE is hosting a series of events related to this year’s theme of Black Health and Wellness. This includes social activities, “coffee and convo” chats, a poetry slam, and more. TIBCO team members also have the chance to dive deeper into the topic of Black health and wellness, including activities that illuminate the issue of race-based health inequities.
Dr. David R. Williams, Professor of Public Health and Chair of the Department of Social and Behavior Sciences at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, presented to the entire company on “how racism makes us sick.” In his data-backed session, Dr. Williams showed that “over 200 Black people are dying too soon, every day in America.” Just the economic toll alone of such racial inequities leads to a $309 billion annual loss to the economy.
TIBCO Supports Outdoor Afro with #GoOutside Challenge
TIBCO is also sponsoring this month’s “Go Outside Challenge.” Employees can post photos with the #gooutside hashtag to raise money for Outdoor Afro. Outdoor Afro is the nation’s leading, cutting-edge network that celebrates and inspires Black connections and leadership in nature.
To help propel these efforts, TIBCO BLADE was honored to enlist Dr. Favia Dubyk, who spoke on the topic of Diversity in the Outdoors. Dr. Dubyk, a professional rock climber, American Ninja Warrior, and cancer survivor shared with TIBCO her personal story of perseverance. Plus, her encounters with healthcare inequities. This included the many battles she faced advocating for herself. But also the joy she discovered in rock climbing and community: “It was in Cleveland that I discovered that climbing was an entire community.”
Black Pioneers in Health and Wellness
Black pioneers in health, wellness, outdoor activities, and adventure deserve equal celebration. Did you know that in 2019 Will “Akuna” Robinson became the first Black man to hike the Triple Crown? Or that Matthew Alexander Henson reached the geographic North Pole on April 6, 1909, before Robert Peary?
TIBCO continues to push for diversity, equity, and inclusion. This extends beyond our “work life.” For example, Dr. Traci Baxley, author of Social Justice Parenting: How to Raise Compassionate, Anti-Racist, Justice-Minded Kids in an Unjust World, will lead TIBCO employees in a social justice parenting workshop. “We each want what’s best for our children,” Dr. Baxley states in her book, “but Social Justice Parenting means you also want (and take action toward) what’s best for all children.”
Fostering Change
TIBCO supports Black, Latino, and inclusive communities and seeks to foster change in the tech landscape. This includes support for the King Center, Dream Corps Tech, and numerous other contributions over the years, plus internal efforts.
TIBCO Celebrates Black History Month with Leading Guest Speakers and Wellness Initiatives
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“It’s wonderful to see BLADE team members going above and beyond their daily work responsibilities and building a community of trust, safety, and belonging for underrepresented groups within TIBCO,” remarked BLADE co-chair Ross.
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