Jessie Woolley-Wilson, CEO of Dreambox, shares a personal message of hope to her team after Charlottesville
Jessie Woolley-Wilson (@jessieww) demonstrates how CEOs should take the lead in developing an inclusive culture; by sending an email in the face of recent events in Charlottesville, she works hard to ensure all employees are inspired to fight for inclusion and equity.
From: Jessie Woolley-Wilson
Date: August 14, 2017 at 9:10:34 AM PDT
To: DBL All Worldwide
Subject: Not My AmericaVile.
Reprehensible.
Tragic.
Not My America.
DreamBox Team:
I thought long and hard about sending this note. I decided that silence is part of the problem we face today. So I decided to pen this note to all of you.
The events in Charlottesville this past weekend left me wondering what happened to My America — the America that pulled my father to this promising country even before civil rights legislation was in place; the America that invites the tired, poor and huddled masses yearning to be free… the homeless, tempest tossed… to come; the America whose ideals inspire in each of us the pursuit of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; the America that was instrumental in the defeat of the vile, reprehensible, and tragic Holocaust in WWII; the America; the America that birthed Dr. Martin Luther King, Harriet Tubman, and Barack Obama. This is My America.
What I witnessed at the edge of the campus of my Alma Mater, UVA, was deeply disturbing to me. I spent several hours watching the turmoil and wondered if we’d made real progress since the days of fire hoses, dog attacks and brutality while peaceful marchers crossed a now, historical bridge in Selma. Then I had a thought: we are the sentinels of OUR democracy… of OUR America. This exceptional and powerful idea we call America seems fragile, but is actually very strong, because we are strong. As sentinels of our democracy, we have a choice: we can be silent, we have our voice heard and we can act. The choice, it seems to me is ours. We can hold this democracy, strengthen it or allow it to fade away.
Everyone has a role to play, some will act quietly and privately; others will act more demonstrably and publicly. Some may do a little of both. Each of us has to determine what we care most about and what we can do to help us heal and bend toward justice.
For me, I value human dignity. It’s at the core of our work here at DreamBox. We seek to unlock human potential by first unlocking learning potential so that all kids can fulfill their potential and be better parents, teachers, doctors, engineers, entrepreneurs, artists — and citizens. Citizen Sentinels for Democracy. Our Democracy.
I remain hopeful even though I am deeply disturbed and apprehensive about what may come. But, I remain hopeful because I know so many people like the folks we have a DreamBox who are good people with good hearts. I remain hopeful because I know that the good hearts overwhelmingly out number the bad ones.
Hope.
Action.
Vigilance.
Onward!
Jessie
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” — Nelson Mandela
