Highlights:
- BE@R – Black Employees @RingCentral, is one of RingCentral’s 11 Employee Resource Groups
- A full schedule of Black History Month events can be found below.
If you’ve spent any time reading Life@RingCentral, you know – we spend a lot of time talking about our people, our culture, and the ways diversity makes our company stronger. But what do we really mean by that? Why and how is diversity good for a global business communications company? What’s different about this place? Why and how does RingCentral’s particular approach to diversity advance the company’s mission?
Beginning the journey
Every week this month, BE@R is sharing segments of The 1619 Project, and leading discussions about it. This award-winning project shines a light on hard moments of our shared past, and remains a center of controversy in the public sphere. The discussions these episodes spark can be difficult, but they follow the company’s mission almost to the letter: breaking down barriers to help people work as one. If The 1619 Project was the only thing BE@R focused on, it would be a powerful and worthwhile Black History Month endeavor. But there’s much more to the journey.
“…having a consistent conversation about the past and the future (helps us) find ways to be able to live in the present while continuing to push the future along.”
– Jace Henderson, Mid-Market Expansion Account Executive, Denver, CO
Black And …
There is much more to Black identity than race. BE@R’s “Black And…” series is focusing on everyday challenges people face regarding issues like age, sexuality, physical disability, mental health and more – in the context of the Black experience. It’s a fascinating, important discussion both within and without the Black community, and one every member of the RingCentral family is encouraged to participate in.
“It’s nice to see we’re working toward including a broader segment of Black community in these conversations. I feel like we have finally begun to include Black women and the LGBTQ+ community. Those individuals are so often forgotten.”
– Tasia Bromell, Associate Program Coordinator, DEI, Durham, North Carolina
Sounds good so far.
The hard discussions we’ve been having are important. But it’s just as important to remember: Black History Month is a celebration. If you’ve missed any of DJ E-TRANE’s expertly curated “Journey Through Black Music” sets, you’ll wish you hadn’t. To catch his next set, or participate in any of our discussions or events, find the full schedule of Black History Month activities here:
Black History Month Event Schedule:
- In addition to live events, you can check out our past events & pre-recorded series, “Black and…”, “A Journey of Blacks in Politics”, and “Black People Made That”, posted in the Black History Month 2022 Archives
Continuing the journey.
It’s exciting to see RingCentral’s commitment to diversity pay dividends like this. Awards are one thing – but actually seeing diversity advance RingCentral’s mission is something that should make us all proud. Together, we’re exploring Black history, but discussing much more than race. By having the courage and curiosity to explore gender, orientation, disability, age and more, we’re gaining perspective and insight that powerfully advances our shared mission.
This company is so much more than its products. Join us and get to know the people who make us what we are, and what we’ll be—together.
Originally published Feb 17, 2022, updated Dec 30, 2022
