The time for education and action is now: A letter from our CEO of EF North America

Dear all,

This is a time of much-needed reflection regarding racial injustice throughout the U.S. and the world. I am devastated about what is happening in the U.S. regarding the continued killings of Black people and the horrific nature of hate crimes, brutality, racism, and acts of violence against the Black community. The unjust murder of George Floyd, and all of those who came before him, is a wake-up call.

As a company, we believe that the world is better when people try to understand one another. Our mission of opening the world through education is critical for all people, no matter where they live, who they love, their spirituality, or the color of their skin.

While we have worked hard to improve diversity at EF, I recognize with some pain that we have not been strong enough allies for our Black employees, students, educators, and friends. The time to change that is now.

We are making five commitments to drive change at EF. Our newly formed Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Team, who work directly with me and alongside all of us, will help lead these efforts.

1. We commit to grow diversity within our teams, at all levels, through proactive recruiting and retention of talent
2. We commit to provide internal training and development opportunities on recognizing and preventing bias to fight systemic inequality in the workplace
3. We commit to create and share educational tools, resources, and platforms to combat systemic racism and discrimination within and outside EF
4. We commit to foster safe interactions, experiences, and spaces for our staff, students, and customers
5. We commit to reimagine, actualize, and continually audit our programs, services, language, and marketing to strengthen inclusivity in everything we do

These are only the first steps—the journey will be long and require sustained work and effort from all of us. But I am confident that together we can make an impact for the long-term benefit of our staff, our community, our businesses, and our world.

Best regards,

Eddie

Edward Hult, CEO of EF North America

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” Nelson Mandela

^{EF North America staff received a version of the letter above on June 8, 2020.}