Responding as One DentaQuest Community

Statement

June 01, 2020

"We are a community that does not condone acts of racism, discrimination or violence of any kind and wants us all to have safe and healthy lives."

This message from Steve PollockMyechia Minter-Jordan and Roxanne Martinez was shared with all DentaQuest affiliated employees on June 1, 2020. 

Dear Colleagues,

Over the last several days, we’ve seen our communities react to the brutal deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. It has been an extremely difficult time as so many mourn the continued senseless loss of too many Black lives.

As a diverse group of individuals, we are affected by and process these events in different ways. But we would not be living up to our mission or values if we did not publicly acknowledge, as one DentaQuest community, that we can and will do more to fight for racial equity and justice. It is important for all of us to take a stand and that everyone on staff makes their voices heard on the issue effectively and peacefully. We are a community that does not condone acts of racism, discrimination or violence of any kind and wants us all to have safe and healthy lives.

Our mission – to improve the oral health of all – is rooted in the pursuit of equity. Whether it’s providing Medicaid dental coverage and care to millions of people, supporting an inclusive network of oral health leaders, providing philanthropic funding or research to understand gaps in our current system, we are putting in the work to transform our oral health care system into an equitable one.

At DentaQuest, we will always strive to be a safe space for everyone. We continue to learn from and recognize our unconscious biases, take actionable steps to counteract their negative impacts on our colleagues, and enable employee resource groups to facilitate conversations on important topics inclusive of all communities we represent. Lastly, the commitment we’ve made to the CEO Action group guides our work with like-minded companies committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

We will not become complacent with the steps we’ve already taken. We are committed to additional actions moving forward, including listening, education and providing ongoing support for all voices.

  • Today, we are making a donation to Color of Change, the nation’s largest online racial justice organization which helps people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force driven by 1.7 million members, Color of Change moves decision-makers in corporations and government to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America.
  • We will work towards an ERG joint task force and commit additional resources to facilitate conversations on racial equity to help shape future action steps.

We will struggle as we go. We will make mistakes. At times, we will feel like our efforts are making little impact and at other times, we will be empowered by our progress. Above all, we commit to educating ourselves, listening to one another and amplify marginalized voices. These are the commitments that we must hold ourselves accountable to, today and in the future.

Sincerely,

Steve, Myechia and Roxanne

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