We mourn the tragic deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Dreasjon Reed, George Floyd, and countless other acts of racism and injustice including the confrontation of Christian Cooper.  We are experiencing a collective outrage at how African Americans and other communities of color are being victimized.  The images of injustice and violence are graphic and disturbing and have left us feeling stunned, sad, angry, scared, and frustrated that we are not doing better.

Institutional racism impacts every aspect of life and is painfully evident in healthcare. In the US, the black community is being disproportionately harmed by the recent COVID-19 pandemic with higher rates of infection, hospitalization, and mortality.  African American adults are also nearly twice as likely as white adults to develop type 2 diabetes and this racial disparity has continued to rise over the last 30 years.

At Roche Diabetes Care, we stand in solidarity with all of our colleagues, friends, family members, customers, and communities against institutionalized prejudice, hatred, and violence.  We are committed to actively speaking out against racial injustice and this is certainly not a time to be silent.  And we realize that just speaking out is not enough.  We have a longstanding commitment to an inclusive and diverse work environment and that commitment has never been stronger.

While we don’t have all the answers, we are committed to confronting unconscious bias, fostering belonging and allyship among our colleagues.  And we are committed to engaging in open dialogue to listen and learn so that we might find new opportunities to expand our impact.

Yours in solidarity,      
US Roche Diabetes Care