Here at Trekk, we believe that problems are identified by the curious and solved by the courageous. Cultivating an inclusive environment — one that incorporates and encourages people from all backgrounds to ask questions and share ideas — is core to who we are, and has been for 25 years.
Recent examples of police brutality, combined with a life-changing pandemic that has disproportionately affected BIPOC Americans, have made it impossible to deny or look away from the deep systemic issues in our country. Racial injustice and inequity have been dominating conversations at both dinner tables and conference room tables. Many companies have made statements denouncing the racial injustices, committing to education, and determining ways to drive lasting change. At Trekk, it has become clear that we, as an agency, not only have a responsibility to speak up but also have an opportunity to create real progress.
Toward this goal, and inspired in part by this open letter to agency leadership from 600 Black advertising professionals, Trekk developed an internal diversity council in June, a group of our team members committed to ensuring that diversity, equity, and inclusion are not only part of our mission, but that we also take actionable steps to be part of the solution. The council has been critical in shining a light on different points of view, facilitating discussion, and ensuring that Trekk’s leadership team is aware of ongoing challenges and opportunities.
All that said — we still have a long way to go.
Moving forward, our commitment to change includes the following:
- Auditing our policies to ensure the environment we work in is more equitable and inclusive to a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives
- Extending our recruiting outreach to a more diverse representation of colleges, universities, and art schools, while continuing to invite candidates from non-traditional educational paths to apply as well
- Providing bias training to all team members
- Investing in and partnering with mentorship, sponsorship, and other career development programs for students of color in our communities
- Encouraging our team members to join organizations that are committed to systemic change, and offering pro-bono Trekk services to help them communicate and achieve their goals
As our commitment to change is ongoing, I have no doubt the above will evolve and grow. We’ll keep you posted on our progress, and if you have thoughts, ideas, or questions, we’d love to talk. Drop us a note here
