Like many companies, at Hudson RPO we employ diverse teams around the world.  Our teams are made up of individuals from all walks of life.  We are black, we are white, we are Latinx, we are veterans, we are multi-generational, we are people with disabilities, and we are members of the LGBT community, along with many other dimensions of diversity.  We embrace diversity in all its forms thanks to our diverse make-up and culture of inclusion.  Our corporate culture led organically to open and candid conversations about personal experiences, George Floyd, Black Lives Matter, law enforcement, diversity, equality, inclusion, and related topics.  In years past, we might have shied away from these conversations in order to avoid uncomfortable and nuanced topics related to race.

But in the weeks following the killing of George Floyd, I heard from former colleagues, prospective clients, and even friends from college, all asking the same questions:  What can we do?  And where do we start?  It turns out that several peers, all leaders at Hudson RPO, were experiencing the same.  Our networks were reaching out to us to vent, brainstorm, and strategize around turning constructive dialogue into action.  As a leadership team, we had several conversations about diversity, equality, and inclusion with many of us sharing our own personal stories about how race has impacted our lives both personally and professionally.  Those conversations all led us to what ultimately felt like an obvious place: the “Just Start” web series.  Through a series of web-based roundtable discussions, our team would walk and talk viewers through best practices for establishing DEI.