In this time of profound grief and outrage over yet another brutal and senseless murder of a Black person perpetrated by a police officer, Verra stands in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and is committed to addressing the pervasive and ongoing racism in this country. We recognize racism is deeply ingrained in U.S. society, culture, and institutions, and that it follows the toxic legacy of White Supremacy and systematic brutalization of Black people in this country. As we all know, this has resulted in police violence and brutality, mass incarceration, segregation, lack of investment in Black communities, and countless other transgressions. It will require a lot of honest reflection, difficult conversations, and hard work to achieve a truly anti-racist society.

As an organization, we have begun to take concrete steps to tackle racial and other implicit biases. We are having open and honest discussions about how we promote diversity, equity and inclusion, recognizing that White Privilege is pervasive and undermines progress towards these objectives. We are taking a close look at our employee recruitment, compensation and promotion practices as well as our values to ensure all staff are treated fairly and equitably, and that Verra builds and supports a diverse and inclusive organization. We continually seek to broaden representation of People of Color among staff, senior management, and our Board of Directors. Recognizing the global nature of our work, we are always striving to ensure that our program requirements address any inequities or discrimination as it relates to project and program implementation.

We are cognizant that these steps are just a start and that we have a long way ahead of us. The recent unconscionable incidents serve to double our resolve to stay on this path.