Dear Hill House Community,
As you may know, earlier this year I wrote an open letter outlining the steps we are taking to build an anti-racist company. In an effort to stay accountable, I am writing to you today with some updates on our progress in implementing these crucial commitments.
For the past several months, we have been working closely with expert advisor Dr. Akilah Cadet of Change Cadet. With over 15 years of experience leading private and public sector companies through crucial initiatives focused on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, Dr. Cadet is a true visionary in her field. It has been a joy and an honor working with Dr. Cadet, and I’d like to personally thank Cleo Capital’s Sarah Kunst for the introduction.
A central touchstone of our June commitment was the creation of a Diversity & Inclusion Board, tasked with providing key strategic insights and ensuring accountability. I am delighted to announce that this board has officially been established, and is made up of some truly incredible members, all of whom will be formally introduced at a later date. Inaugural members of this Board will play a key role in setting standards for recruiting, hiring and promoting BIPOC talent, and will also author and edit the Hill House Annual Report, scheduled for release in February 2021.
The D&I Board will also advise on the disbursement of our $100,000 pledge to non-profits focused on racial justice and equity. In our June letter, we mentioned several non-profits we have selected as beneficiaries of this pledge, including the Women’s Prison Association and the NAACP LDF. We are also actively seeking recommendations from our community for any organizations focused on Black Maternal Health. If you are familiar with organizations for whom this is a focus, please feel free to respond to this email with details.
We have continued to amplify Black voices and businesses across our digital channels, with a focus on our 40 Winks Blog. We have highlighted entrepreneurs such as mother/daughter duo Markea and Debbie Dickinson — two brilliant Founders building a next-generation smart-tech wearable — and Breighl Robbins, founder of my new personal obsession, plant-based postpartum care brand, Ebi. We are also excited to expand our Birth Story series to IGTV, where we’ll hear directly from women as they share their personal stories. It is crucially important to us to continue to use our platforms to share BIPOC stories and promote BIPOC businesses, and we are actively seeking recommendations for new subjects. If you or someone you know may be a good fit for either the Next to My Bed or Birth Story verticals, please respond to this email with a brief nomination.
We would be remiss not to mention this year’s crucial election. All Hill House employees will have a paid day off on Election Day in order to vote, and we are encouraging our U.S. based vendors and partners to do the same.
Finally, we are excited to announce that by the end of 2022, we plan to install a formal Board of Directors. We formally commit to a minimum of 1 BIPOC woman on our inaugural board and we will provide more details on this as they become available.
We hope to continue to foster an open dialogue, and we invite you to share your thoughts and suggestions with us. We encourage our community to hold us accountable to action in the coming months and years, and we welcome any feedback. The best way to contact us is via email; simply reply here or write to customercare@hillhousehome.com.
We appreciate your support now and always.
Best,
Nell Diamond
Founder & CEO
Hill House Home