The murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and countless other victims of police brutality and systemic racism reflect discrimination that is deeply ingrained in our society.
Our government is failing us. Rather than acknowledging and addressing these systemic problems, the president has chosen to fan the flames of hatred—to not only accept these broken elements of our society, but to reinforce them.
The behavior of our police and our government is reprehensible, and we condemn it without doubt or qualification.
Mode stands with Black communities. We stand with our Black team members. But saying this alone is not enough.
We will continue to champion diversity and speak out for inclusion. We will fight our own biases. We will formalize more opportunities to learn, volunteer, and politically participate. We will look at our strengths, listen to our community, and determine how best to contribute to the end of racial injustice.
We call on our community of analysts and data scientists to use our skills for this just cause; to bring to light the extensive data on the factors that contribute to systemic racism. In March we offered Mode for free to anyone helping fight COVID on the front lines. We extend the same offer here—like COVID, the racism that is ingrained and institutionalized in our culture is a threat to society.