The past few weeks have been a time for honesty and action. Last week, we shared the following message with our staff and now we do the same with you, our friends and colleagues: Our hearts go out to the families of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and families of far too many other Black people that have been the victims of tragic, violent racist crimes. As leaders of BBR, we unequivocally condemn racism of any kind; overt, subtle, systemic or institutional.

BBR has never, nor would we ever, tolerate racist or biased behavior of any kind, but it is no longer enough to not be racist. We will continue to be an anti-racist organization proactively doing what we can to redress racial inequality.

We know we have work to do when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion at BBR. The more diverse we are as an organization, the better and stronger we will be, and we are dedicated to making that a reality. We are more committed than ever to ensuring that BBR is an inclusive place where everyone feels comfortable, supported, and can succeed.

We are not writing this just to highlight our awareness of and deep concern over this national problem, but rather to say that we as a firm will undertake the introspection and hard work necessary to challenge ourselves to do better and to be better.

As a small first step, the Partnership for NYC released an open letter calling for united efforts to achieve racial justice. It is signed by 191 of New York City’s top business leaders from all sectors of the economy. Evan Roth, on behalf of BBR has signed the Partnership for NYC letter.

We know this is just the start of an ongoing process and are holding ourselves accountable to concrete action.

Silence is not an option, but words are not enough.