Our Company’s values and principles call us to stand up and participate as part of a human response to racism, violence and injustice. 

The recent acts of racism and violence toward the Asian community worldwide, and in the United States and Canada in particular, are reprehensible. The murder of eight people—including six Asian-Americans—in Atlanta last week has left many terrified and outraged. 

While racism has beset the Asian-American and Asian-Canadian communities for centuries, there has been an increase in acts of violence and hate directed at Asian people since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our Company unequivocally denounces racism, intolerance, bias, violence and injustice here and elsewhere, and we firmly stand alongside and compassionately support our Smucker colleagues who experience racism and live in fear.

As part of our response to this recent tragedy, we have opened up a dialogue and encouraged further education to create greater understanding and empathy.

Several Smucker employees bravely came forward to share their experiences and help us all understand how we can be strong allies and advocates for the Asian community.

• “Early in March 2020, just before the COVID shutdown, I was in a hotel elevator alone, and a group intentionally chose not to get in when it stopped on their floor, saying to me as the doors were closing, ‘Why don’t you go back to China so the rest of us can use the elevator,’” Christine Herrera, Vice President, Tax, recounted.
• “For me, the latter half of last week was extremely tough to get through,” shared Sachi Argabright, Manager, Finance.  “Thinking about how my community is suffering, checking for news updates about the victims of the massacre, and worrying about my Asian family members was very stressful. To try and go about my day as ‘normal’ and plaster a smile on my face during meetings was exhausting and left me completely drained on Friday.”
• “If you’re looking to be a good ally to the Asian community right now, I would recommend being conscious of the potential stress and exhaustion your Asian-American or Asian-Canadian coworkers might be feeling right now,” Sachi continued. “Experiencing these emotions can feel very isolating, and even though the person you’re checking in on might not be up for discussing the traumatic events, they will likely appreciate knowing they can reach out to you for support when they’re ready.”

We have also shared educational resources with our organization cultivated from trusted sources and suggested by Asian-American and Asian-Canadian employees. Here are some of the resources shared with our employees in case you find them helpful.

Online Resources

• Anti-Asian Attacks Rise During Pandemic. Read NPR's Stories On The Surge In Violence - NPR
• Why We Must Talk About the Asian American Story – the Undefeated
• What You Can do to Fight Violence and Racism Against Asian Americans- PBS
• The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 – PBS
• The Japanese American incarceration of WWII – Smithsonian Magazine

Books

• Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong
• All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung
• Know My Name by Chanel Miller
• The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston
• They Called Us Enemy by George Takei

We are proud to add our voice to the growing discussion around this critical issue. While violence and injustice persist, they pale in comparison to the strength and passion of those who diligently fight against them every day.