Laura: Creating Black Lives Matter at Zumper happened so organically in the middle of pretty significant unrest. When George Floyd was murdered, I connected with our former co-worker, Sammy, and we shared how devastated each of us felt. I came from a former company where we had an ERG for everything, and Zumper didn’t have that yet. I didn’t know how to help as an ally at Zumper but I knew I needed to do something.
Dana: Separately, I had scheduled a “weeping hour” for my Black colleagues at Zumper to process the murder of George Floyd. Within that call, we talked about how everyone around us was kind of going on in a “business as usual” mode, while Black employees were finding it difficult just to get through the day. We cried, processed, and shared. Sammy was in that meeting and he felt we needed to share the space, which brought me to Laura. Together, we kind of took things head-on.
Laura: Traumatic things were happening and a lot of people were kind of going forward with our normal work lives. Personally, I felt so alone and isolated. That’s when Dana and I got together and brought the idea for the ERG to our CEO, Anthemos.
Dana: Before we went to Anth, I was so nervous. Despite my nerves, I knew it was a really important conversation to have. The meeting ended up being really organic and I explained to him how the injustices going on around the country were impacting my Black life and others at Zumper. Anth was really receptive to what we were saying and immediately wanted to act as an ally.
Laura: It felt like, after that conversation, he knew it was a no-brainer to start an ERG. Anth offered himself up as exec sponsor and that’s how it all started. During our first board meeting, the very first thing we did together was plan some programming around Juneteenth. We ended up sending out a company-wide email that included some educational resources about the holiday.
Dana: For our very first meeting, we facilitated a Q&A with our hiring managers and recruiters. It centered around Zumper’s hiring practices and how to attract and seek out a diverse pool of candidates. We had so many nerves going into our first meeting! Thankfully, Laura had some experience so she helped lead. Once we got started, everything happened so organically. When you’re so passionate about the subject, it makes it really easy to facilitate the meetings and create the space for others to share. We felt we were able to create something really positive for our members.
Before this event, there were issues we just weren’t talking about in shared spaces; after the event, things were more out in the open. Since then, the work has been happening and it’s starting to reflect in the website, hiring practices and rules, and commitment to furthering our focus on diversity within every aspect of our company.
Laura: I think it’s so important to have deeper connections at the company where I work. It makes me feel like I’m part of something bigger than myself outside of just selling a product. Being part of the ERG has helped me become a better ally, too. I’ve always considered myself an ally, but being part of BLM at Zumper and having those difficult conversations with group members and board members has helped me grow and learn. It takes my allyship to the next level; like the saying goes, “Be the change you want to see in the world”.
Dana: For me, this ERG has really offered me the first place in my career where I felt both seen and heard. I’ve worked in a lot of predominantly white spaces where I’m 1 of 1. It wasn’t comfortable and I didn’t feel like I could be my full authentic self. BLM has offered me a safe space, allyship, friendship, new relationships, and the ability to educate people on what the life of a Black woman looks like. To be able to be in a room with people who don’t look like me but are all showing up to say, “we support”, you has been awesome.
Thanks to this ERG, I can be my outspoken Black woman self. I’ve found my passion and it actually changed my profession; I’m now the Diversity Specialist at Zumper. There are just so many things BLM at Zumper has given me; I’m very thankful and I want to continue to make noise and make change.
Laura: I’ve learned so much more about my privilege. Until it’s in your face you just don’t know. Ignorance is bliss, but I don’t want to be ignorant. Allies need to be on the frontline.
Dana: I have a forever ally in Laura; she’s given me a blueprint for what an ally looks like.
Laura and Dana: The question we’re all asking is what happens now? We’re thinking about how we translate this ERG into normal life as more places are opening up and we’re all leaving our virtual bubbles. We’re shifting our focus to doing more community service events to be on the ground. We’re already working with Harlem Children’s Zone (a direct action from our ERG meetings) and we’re donating used laptops to the Hidden Genius Project.
When we first started, every BLM at Zumper meeting was super intense, and some people simply couldn’t be on those calls. It was a lot. We want to make sure we’re addressing and making space for the difficult stuff, but we also want to do work in our communities and celebrate the wins, too.
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