Reaching New Heights, Thanks To Representation

I’m sure that in 1910 Embra Brooks, one of the first black employees at Merck, could have never imagined the company as it is today. Merck as we know it features black talent from top to bottom starting with our chairman and CEO, Ken Frazier. As we celebrate Black History Month, let’s take a moment to reflect upon those who came before us and have played an integral role in the company’s rich history for over 100 years. The glass ceilings shattered by Embra and other black employees at Merck have enabled my wife Ivory and me to be in the positions we are fortunate to have today. And while we can never pay that back, we can certainly pay it forward.

Having been with the company for 4 and 7 years respectively, I am currently an Associate Director in Global Marketing and Ivory is a Senior Compliance Specialist in the Office of Ethics. Outside of our roles, we both enjoy participating in the company’s employee business resource groups (EBRGs), and in 2020 we both spent significant time participating in the League of Employees of African Descent (LEAD) events.

The rich and informative programming provided by LEAD motivated us through the power of representation. The LEADership summit, HBCU day, and LEAD’s 50th Anniversary Celebration all had black excellence on full display. It was special to see leaders who looked like us; to listen to the stories they shared on how they overcame adversity and managed to navigate the long and winding road to success, despite the obstacles they faced; and most importantly, to understand how there is much more work to be done. It was magical to witness. Not knowing any of them personally at the time, we were still able to resonate with their stories because many of them, unfortunately, were all too familiar. Their willingness to be authentic and share their experiences made it real for us.

The mindset in our home had shifted. These wonderful displays of representation made us realize our potential and rethink our professional altitudes. As important as it is to have diverse representation, it is equally as important to be diverse representation; to be a model of success and achievement for those that will come after us, including our son Cameron.

Understanding that this generation has to carry forward the torch that has been passed down from the leaders like Embra Brooks, Willie Deese, and Ken Frazier, who have paved the way for black employees to reach heights previously unthinkable, and cognizant that our leaders and predecessors have raised the bar for us and opened doors that otherwise may have been shut, it’s critical that all employees within the company are committed to the work by continuing the authentic diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts that our leaders at Merck are working towards. In successfully doing so successive generations will know that there are no boundaries they cannot overcome!

I am standing on the shoulders of the ones who came before me

I am stronger for their courage; I am wiser for their words

I am lifted by their longing for a fair and brighter future

I am grateful for their vision, for their toiling on this Earth

We are standing on the shoulders of the ones who came before us

They are saints and they are humans, they are angels, they are friends

We can see beyond the struggles and the troubles and the challenge

When we know that by our efforts things will be better in the end

-Joyce Johnson Rouse