I am deeply saddened by the rising hate crimes against Asian Americans. It is heartbreaking that in a span of one week there have been five violent attacks mostly in our community in San Francisco and Oakland’s Chinatown. This should be a time of celebration, in Chinatown, on the Lunar New Year, connecting with family and welcoming the new year.
Collectively we must rise up against racial injustice. As a company, e.l.f. is over 40% diverse. We stand with EVERY eye, lip and face. It’s in our name and it inspires us as a company. We are deeply committed to diversity, equality and inclusion, and we want to support marginalized communities and take action. We will use our voice and our platform to lift up the Asian community.
This week, I wrote a note to commend our team in Shanghai, who have stayed positive even as recent COVID cases have disrupted their Spring Festival. I am so impressed by their spirit, energy and connectedness even while apart. They work hard to raise the bar on what’s possible – and this past year they showed such resilience and determination, starting with the pandemic and being the first beauty company to return and be fully operational. Our One Team, One Dream culture has never been stronger, and we will work together to combat hate and rise up against racial injustice.
My priority is to ensure that our Asian employees, partners and extended e.l.f. family feel supported. We will always stand in solidarity against racial injustice and take actions to make a positive difference in people’s lives. At e.l.f., we will take action in the following ways:
Sharing Asian stories
We will share stories of our teammates and the community. Their strength, courage and bravery. Raising visibility and vulnerability across our social platforms.
Checking in on the community
I will continue to regularly check in on our Asian teammates to make sure they feel safe, supported, and encourage open on-going dialogue.
Allyship & Raise our voices
We will speak up, take action and show our support. Stop AAPI Hate is an incredible resource. It was created as a result of the rising incidences of hate against Asian American Pacific Islander communities during the COVID-19 pandemic and to stand united against racism. Formed by the Asian Pacific Planning and Policy Council (A3PCON), Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA), and the Asian American Studies Department of San Francisco State University, together they have developed a tool that tracks hate incidents against AAPI communities called the, “Stop AAPI Hate tracker.”
Driving greater inclusion and racial justice
We will continue to lead unconscious bias sessions inside e.l.f. to recognize blind spots and biased language and drive change. We are launching Employee Resource Groups, and we will provide facilitated open discussions where teammates can share what’s on their minds in a safe space.
We will speak up and continue to take action to support the Asian community and drive positive change. We encourage others to do the same.