Carson Dellosa CEO Ira Hernowitz's Response To Recent Events

June 4, 2020 - As CEO of Carson Dellosa, I want to express my thoughts and share our actions following the senseless murder of George Floyd and the incomprehensible actions of law enforcement to quell peaceful protests. Peaceful protests are explicitly outlined as legal in the Constitution and are a bedrock of why America has been the guiding example globally of how a free democracy works. I asked our social media team to help dictate our public response, as the world doesn't need another public message from a CEO right now. What the world needs is change. 
 
We decided to start with a message of compassion by simply posting “We Stand United With Love”. Additionally, we have made the decision to go dark on social media over the next week of our original content and instead re-share content created by African American educators that share the accomplishments of African Americans as well as help promote inclusivity and thoughtful dialog on race & racism at home and in the classroom. The feedback from consumers has been very positive and we've seen more engagement & positive reaction to these last 2 days’ worth of posts than when we do giveaways and contests. For some, our message on social media was not strong enough, for others it was the right tone.

What I believe to be a universal truth is our actions will speak more forcefully than any single social media post. We as a company are committed to a diverse, inclusive workforce, and to creating diverse, inclusive products. While we have many products already that celebrate diversity and African American heritage, we know that alone is not enough. This post is just a start to additional positive changes we can make both in our own halls as well as through the content we deliver to our customers, including expansion of our diversity counsel and minority hiring practices.  As an education company I believe we have a responsibility to be part of the solution.

The work we do in the coming weeks, months, and years can be the catalyst of change. We believe the way we conduct ourselves internally and the products we bring to market will have an impact to fight racism in the classroom and at home. To be fully transparent, this has been an uncomfortable dialog for many of us, and that's ok. Many of us are uncomfortable talking about race, and it is hard for many of us to imagine what it would feel like to be pre-judged based on our skin tone.

Change however doesn't come from a place of comfort, and we support our employees engaging in dialog that makes us a more diverse and inclusive place to work, and that in turn helps us create more diverse & inclusive products. If you care to share this message personally within your own social media, please feel free. I am incredibly proud of the people that make up Carson Dellosa, and I hope you are equally proud of our response to this horrific event, which will hopefully turn into a catalyst for positive change.

Ira Hernowitz