Braintree, MA (March 19, 2021) – Peabody Companies and members of its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, join the Peabody community and people everywhere in mourning the victims of the horrific shootings in Atlanta on Tuesday. These attacks come amidst a disturbing nationwide rise in violence, discrimination, and racial intolerance directed against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We condemn not only recent acts of violence against Asian-Americans, but also the much more widespread discrimination and stereotyping that has for too long and too often harmed Asian American lives and those disadvantaged within our society.

The AAPI community is a vital source of innovation, creativity and strength within the Peabody organization and the communities we serve. Our collective future depends on ensuring that they – and people of all backgrounds – are able to thrive within our organization, our managed communities, and our nation.

Below, we have shared some ways to support the AAPI community, from helping to report hate incidents to donating to nonprofits to volunteering.

In closing, we’d like to share the words of one of our team members and a member of our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee:

“Please reach out to your Asian American and Pacific Islander friends and make sure you ask how they are doing. Culturally speaking, we were brought up to suppress our emotions and weren’t encouraged to express about our feelings – a natural form of self-censorship because ‘we don’t want to cause further trouble’. We sweep these emotions under the rug, so if your AAPI friend answers you in a dismissive way just know that you’ve made a mark on their heart. When they are ready, they will talk. The best thing you can do as a friend is LISTEN.”