On Friday, June 5, 2020, we sent a letter to our clients expressing our thoughts on the brutal and horrible murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and others and the virulent and painful racism that continues to exist in this country. We intended for the letter to convey our commitment to understanding the problem and to taking steps to eliminate any form of discrimination, racism, bigotry or hatred at Brown Advisory or in the communities in which we live. We are privileged to share in the letter some of the thoughts of our colleagues and how they personally have been impacted by racism in their lives.
We chose to express our thoughts in this manner as we believe that it reflects our sincere and authentic commitment to our colleagues, as well to our clients, to understand them as individuals. The letter does not cover everything that is on our minds. We know that we have a lot of work to do, as individuals, as a firm, as a community and as a country. At this point, we think that it is important to stay close to our DNA, communicate directly with our clients and others, listen to them, and continue our work to make a positive difference in the future.
We have often expressed that our focus on diversity and inclusion is a journey. We continue to believe this is the case, but we want to make sure that we are on the “right” journey. There should be only one goal at the end: That no person should be subjected to any kind of discrimination or racism and all people should be treated equitably regardless of their race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or minority status. In the letter, Mike makes it clear: "We all have a responsibility here; there are no innocent bystanders."
If you would like a copy of the letter, please reach out below.
We would ask that you read it carefully and that you take a moment to think about your colleagues, family members, friends and clients who have suffered from racism and discrimination and commit to making a difference in the future for them.
This firm is a very special place, for so many reasons. What stands out to us as most important, however, is how much our colleagues care for each other and care about what is happening outside of Brown Advisory. We are grateful to each of them for their contribution.
Please fill out the form below to request a copy of the letter.