Nothing can be changed until it is faced

Today marks the start of Black History Month, an annual celebration of the countless contributions that Black and African American people have made to our nation’s strength, character and culture.

This is the first Black History Month since several tragic and horrifying acts of violence against Black Americans last spring sparked needed conversations about racial justice. The month ahead will be a great reminder of the ongoing, year-round importance of celebrating and supporting our Black and African American communities. It’s also a chance for us all to recommit to working together toward a brighter, more equitable future for all.

The author and activist James Baldwin wrote:

“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.“

At UBS, we will be embracing Baldwin’s challenge throughout February with events and conversations for colleagues to gain a greater understanding of the Black and African American experience. I’d like to thank our MOSAIC employee network and other groups for taking the lead in planning and presenting a number of opportunities for us to talk with and listen to one another, and in particular to our Black and African American colleagues, friends and loved ones about their own unique backgrounds and perspectives. We also continue to encourage individual learning through offerings for our employees like free online African American history courses from EVERFI and Yale University. And of course, the most important actions we can take are to continue making progress on our diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) goals.

Although there’s still work to be done to reshape UBS for the future, we have momentum. Today, we’ve published a new overview of our ambitions to foster greater ethnic diversity at UBS and to create a more inclusive organization. You can find it at ubs.com/diversity.

Black History Month is an opportunity for all of us to reflect, celebrate and grow together. It’s also a time to reinforce our commitment to fairness, equality and justice. When we share experiences and build solutions, we emerge stronger, smarter, united by common values and more appreciative of each other. I hope you’re eager to join the conversation during what promises to be an exciting and eventful month.