After the nation’s recent protests and expansion of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, our company has taken time to listen to our Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) peers before speaking. We are part of a larger community; we wanted to be thoughtful with our action, and learn how we can better support, protect and amplify the voices and messages of the black community. Racial injustice is a disease embedded deep within our culture, and we will not stand by idly as this continues. Here’s what we want you to know about Cornerstone:
Cornerstone supports BLM and stands up to hate, bigotry and discrimination to combat racial injustice, and we are taking action for the residents and communities we serve. We have a unified mission to educate ourselves, address our own unacknowledged racism and listen, learn from and show up more powerfully for the black community. Below are some of the steps Cornerstone has taken:
1. The following policies have been implemented to all of our leases, effective immediately:
• Main Lease: “Resident shall not use racial or ethnic slurs, threaten or intimidate, or make any discriminatory comments on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, creed, disability, sex, familial status, marital status, sexual orientation or transgender status towards Agent, Agent’s employees or vendors, other residents and occupants and any of their guests, agents, invitees or the general public.”
• Community Policy: ”No flags, signs, posters or banners with discriminatory or inflammatory content are permitted on balconies, doors, windows or patios.”
2. Cornerstone is making a donation to the Equal Justice Initiative. EJI is a legal practice dedicated to defending the poor, the wrongly condemned and those trapped in the furthest reaches of the criminal justice system. EJI support programs that serve incarcerated people, organizations that provide re-entry assistance to formerly incarcerated people and organizations that seek reform of criminal justice policy.
3. We are also exploring our role — as a company and as individuals outside the company — within this system. As individuals within the company, we will hold our employees and leaders accountable when it comes to anti-racism work in company culture and policies.
4. Cornerstone commits to involvement and collaboration with the black community by promoting, marketing and establishing lasting partnerships with black-owned businesses with the Cornerstone Card. The company will also observe and celebrate Juneteenth and provide education and celebration opportunities for our team and community.
If you have additional suggestions for organizations that we can support to propel the BLM movement and anti-racism, please reach out to us and share your feedback. We will not let this fight fade; this is our mission. It remains part of our culture and our DNA. We must work together to abolish systemic racism in America.
303 MAGAZINE: 400+ Black Owned Businesses to Support in and Around Denver
Crush Walls Artist: Shepard Fairey (Instagram: @obeygiant)
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