A Statement from Pink Dog Digital President, Gina Ramsey

We are deeply, deeply saddened by the unjust deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and dozens of others. We denounce police brutality in any form and believe that there is a LOT of work to be done.

There is no room in today’s world for systemic racism and hate. We fully support the peaceful protests taking place across the globe and hope that our leaders will listen to the millions of voices decrying a centuries’ old systemic racism problem.

It may seem like this email is coming late. I’d like to make it clear that this is not an afterthought or a hastily thrown together message. I needed to take the time to consider what was happening, do some research, and put a few wheels in motion before responding.

I know that words aren’t enough right now. That’s why our team has been working hard behind the scenes to figure out the best way we can support the Black community. I reached out to my team last week to brainstorm what we could DO – not just what we could say.

Together, we decided on a couple of initiatives that we feel both enthusiastic and passionate about.

First, we will be spotlighting a Baltimore or Cleveland business owned by a person of color each week on all of our social media platforms. We want to amplify Black voices in our community and partner with them in a meaningful way.

If you are a person of color and a Baltimore or Cleveland small business owner or you know one, we want to hear from you. Please reach out to us at office@pinkdogdigital.com.

Second, we want to practice what we preach by adopting a local non-profit. We will be working with There Goes My Hero, a non-profit that supports blood cancer patients undergoing treatment. Over the last 18 months, this organization has piloted a program called Color the Registry.

While patients of European descent have a 79% chance of finding a bone marrow match, only 25% of African American patients find a donor. They want to change that.

The organization sponsors bone marrow drives that offer people of color the opportunity to sign up as donors and save a life.

Pink Dog Digital will be donating on a quarterly basis. In addition, I will personally match any donation that individual team members make. I am also encouraging our team to volunteer at bone marrow drives and help spread the word to #ColorTheRegistry.

I know this is just the tip of the iceberg. We will continue actively looking for opportunities to strengthen and assist minority communities and we hope you will do the same.

Sincerely,

Gina Ramsey