A LETTER FROM OUR CEO: WE NEED TO DO MORE

The senseless and tragic death of George Floyd has devastated all of us, the communities we serve, and the entire nation. We find ourselves face-to-face with an unprecedented global pandemic and deep racial unrest. While the pandemic is new, the historic racial injustice that has plagued our country is not.

The outcry that we’ve seen in the communities in which we live and all across America reflects the pain caused by this enduring racism in our society against black Americans. While many of us have long been aware of this, we have reached a defining moment, where our moral obligation is deeply felt and indifference or silence is no longer acceptable.

In recent days, including today being #blackouttuesday, many in this country have begun doing some soul searching, often times being unsure of and asking themselves what they can do. Many of us are having these conversations personally with friends and families. It is fitting that we have these conversations in the cannabis industry, and at Caliva, as well. 

Social injustice in the black community has long been prevalent in the cannabis industry, and as we are a leader in the cannabis industry, this is an issue we must feel at our core. While we've supported different social equity programs in the past, we must do better. We need to do more. We will do more.

While at this moment we are not yet ready to announce details, I can assure you we are committed to continuing to develop programs together at Caliva to make an impact. All programs will follow our Corporate Values of Absolute Integrity, Connectedness, Truth Seeking, Positive Energy, and Bias to Action. Programs under review at this moment include hiring initiatives, volunteerism, advocacy, media/partnerships, and industry outreach. 

These programs will give us an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to live by our values and to cultivate a workplace that prioritizes equality and diversity, where every one of us can thrive. Most importantly, we’d like to move this conversation forward – together – with you. We will be scheduling employee focus groups to discuss this topic and others that may be top of mind, such as managing through COVID-19. These sessions will be both in-person (socially distanced of course) and virtually via Zoom. We believe a first step is being open to the dialogue and sharing our thoughts, ideas, and solutions with one another. 

We recognize that we continue to have a responsibility to step up, and we assure you that we will. 

Dennis O’Malley

CEO, Caliva