To All Skookum Team Members,
I realize that we published a video update just last Friday. However, much has happened over the last few days and, in light of the pain in our society right now, I thought it was important to reconnect with you.
Diversity is one of Skookum’s core values. Simply stated, diversity recognizes that all people have equal dignity and should enjoy equal rights in term of respect and access to opportunity.
At Skookum, we most commonly talk about that equal access to opportunity with respect to disability. Our company was created on the principle that people of all abilities bring value to the labor force, that people of all abilities are worthy of equal respect and equal access to opportunity. The same value of diversity applies to every aspect of a person’s humanity, including race.
Skookum has high ideals, yet despite our high ideals, the pain of last week reminds us we have far to go to see every person freely live with dignity and the assurance of peace in America. Our nation’s painful past is still very much present today. And while our laws have changed, the protections of those laws are still not universally applied. Our country is grieving for a reason. To borrow from Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, in the statement he released on Sunday “We can have no society worth celebrating unless we can guarantee freedom from fear for every person who gives this country their love, labor and life”.
Skookum was founded to combat injustice in our society, to create equal opportunity and universal respect for people. To our co-workers in the Black community – we see you. You matter, your lives matter, and you are valued here at Skookum. To all Skookum employees, please know that Skookum stands with those working towards justice in honor of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and far too many more whose names must not be forgotten. I know it’s not enough to just have sympathy for those impacted. It requires rethinking of our society on many levels, including at our company. Skookum is committed to creating a workplace that allows for every person to feel safe, supported and to be successful. These are lofty ideals. If you find yourself working in an environment where we aren’t living up to these aspirations, please let me know personally. To be clear, Skookum has zero tolerance or patience for any form of discrimination.
For those that are hurting right now, please know that you are not alone. We have resources to support you, both through the EAP, our network of Vocational Specialists and through access to mental health resources available through our medical plan.
In closing, the recent event reinforces our commitment to our mission and our deeply held value of diversity. As a company, we will continue to support in every way the steady march of progress towards a better society.
Jeff Dolven
Skookum President & CEO
