Our profound hope

Over the past few weeks, America has been on edge as protests in several cities underscored the importance and urgency of a national reckoning on racial justice.

The trial of Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer who faced multiple charges in the death of George Floyd, is a watershed moment that is forcing America to confront decades of social injustice. As you’ve seen, the jury decided that Derek Chauvin was guilty on all three charges.

Our profound hope is that George Floyd’s senseless death will mark a turning point in America’s efforts to end racial disparity. The loss of George Floyd and so many other Black individuals should unite us in the belief that Black lives matter and bring us together to address the inequities we see in our communities.

Invesco condemns racism in any form.  Working together, seeking creative solutions and truly valuing every individual is the only way to reverse a long history of racism and injustice, and the only way we will ever bring about real change.

Within Invesco, we will continue to further strengthen our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. We’ve established support networks for our minority professionals, including the Invesco Black Professionals Network and others. We will offer the Friday before or the Monday after Juneteenth (Saturday, June 19) as an optional holiday for US employees, commemorating the ending of slavery in the US. We’ve also made donations to the NAACP and Anti-Defamation League, and we are working in our communities to end the racial disparity that is impacting so many lives. Although we’ve come a long way, much remains to be done to drive greater diversity and inclusion across our global firm and in our communities.

The trial of Derek Chauvin may be over, but the impact of George Floyd’s death will be felt for generations.  We should all pause for a moment to reflect on what we personally can do to ensure greater dignity, diversity and inclusion for all.