A Note from Our CEO: We Stand with Black Americans & Communities of Color

To Our Valued Colleagues, Clients, and Community:

On behalf of myself and my team, I would like to express how deeply saddened and horrified we are by the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and the many, many other black Americans and communities of color who have fallen victim to racially motivated violence — violence that is fueled by systemic racism at every level of our society.

We grieve with those who have lost their loved ones in the face of racism, ignorance, and hatred. We grieve with the people of color in America who fear for their lives and encounter pervasive oppression on a daily basis. But we know our grief is not enough. A sustained commitment to action, to the hard work that catalyzes change, is the necessary next step. This is especially true for individuals — and it is also true for businesses and organizations, because if we are not actively working to dismantle institutional racism, we are participating in it.

Now is the time for all of us to stand up and remain standing alongside our communities of color. Now is the time to commit to long-term, widespread change and to hold ourselves and each other accountable to our actions. Because of this, the Killer Visual Strategies team stands before you today to make the following commitments:

We will donate our services to nonprofit organizations working on the front lines of this movement. In recent years, we have witnessed how online content has been weaponized to spread misinformation, validate hate speech, and sow division both nationally and globally. We want to counter these narratives by helping racial and social justice organizations develop content to educate, unite, and inspire positive change. We are committed to donating our creative content services to the organizations that need us most right now. If we can be of help to your organization, or to an organization you care about, please reach out to us!

We will use our platform to celebrate artists of color. For four hundred years, the voices of black people in America have been suppressed and silenced — not just through violence, but through our everyday actions, choices, microaggressions, and inactions. We want to amplify the voices of color in our communities who for so long have gone unheard.

Beginning next week, our social channels will feature an artist of the week — a person of color whose work our team of designers and creatives admire. Our goal is to let them speak for themselves and to give them the space and the platform to do so. We are also working with our fellow companies in the LRW Group to launch an #amplifymelanatedvoices campaign that will systematize similar efforts across the organization.

We will grow our company with a focus on building diversity. The LRW Group is creating a task force, with hired outside counsel, to build a comprehensive plan ensuring the continued prioritization of diversity, inclusivity, and equity within the group. Our team is committed to supporting the efforts of this task force in any way we can and implementing its recommendations. We know that diverse perspectives will make us a stronger company and a better place to work for our employees.

While these are the actions we are pledging to take today, they are by no means all that we will do. Killer Visual Strategies will continue to take every opportunity we can to support this and any cause whose target outcome is to elevate marginalized communities. We will not let this moment dissipate into silence. We stand in support of racial justice in the United States, and welcome you to stand with us.

Finally, please join us in supporting the organizations and causes listed below. These are just a few of the groups that, with the ongoing help and support of individuals and institutions, are at the front lines of making real and lasting change in our nation.

Sincerely,

Amy Balliett

CEO | Killer Visual Strategies

Organizations in Need of Support, Volunteers, & Donations