In recent weeks, we’ve been heartbroken and angered by the murders of Rayshard Brooks, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others—as well as the persistent patterns of racial violence and injustice that continue to plague our country.

One of our core values is It’s on us, which means that passivity—being bystanders to discrimination, hatred, and racial violence—is not in our DNA. Here’s what we’re doing and what we plan to do to address racial injustice.

What we’re doing

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) have long been a central part of our culture. Our strategy involves embedding DEI across the entire employee life cycle -- how we hire, develop, advance, and retain Affirmers, and in how we do business. We actively monitor and measure representation of underrepresented groups in our workforce and prioritize improving the diversity of our teams, and we share progress in our annual D&I Report. Here are some other actions we’re taking.

• Last week, we launched the Affirm Communities of Color Advocacy Fund. The fund was seeded by our CEO, and together with contributions from our employees we’ve raised over $300,000. In the coming days we’ll send this money directly to organizations leading the fight for racial equity across America. More information is coming soon.

• In the first week of June, we trained all our managers on how to empathetically navigate conversations with team members, specifically with regard to current events surrounding systemic racism and protests.

• Starting today, we will recognize, honor, and celebrate Juneteenth as a paid company holiday. We’re encouraging our employees to use this time of major change as a catalyst for bettering the world around them, be it through service, art, political activism, or philanthropy.

• Next week, we’re launching a Diversity & Inclusion Steering Committee, which will focus on pushing forward changes to DEI processes, structures, and programming at Affirm. The committee is made up of senior leaders from across the company, including the People, Legal, and DEI teams. 

• We’re soliciting ideas directly from our employees for action, feedback, and resources to help Affirm lead the change we want to see in the world. Our steering committee will prioritize and formalize these ideas into action plans to be kicked off in the coming weeks.

What we plan to do

We see our DEI work as holistic, meaning not just within Affirm, but something that extends to our customers and retail partners as well. Though we’re proud of the steps we’ve taken so far, we know there’s much more we must do.  

We're continuing to evaluate new ways we can make a difference for Black Americans. Please stay tuned for updates in the coming weeks.

Updated 6/19/2020