Black Lives Matter

Dear Friends of TiE Oregon,

The horrific murder of George Floyd on May 25^th by the hands of a white police officer was a stark reminder that some lives and people are not treated equally in this country. It was a reminder that racism is real and that far too many people are treated with the utmost hate, contempt, and bias.

On a personal note, the last few days have been really challenging for me. There has been heartbreak, mourning and sadness amongst my family and friends. I am disgusted by the open lynching and murder of black people in far too many incidences in this country. We cannot tolerate this. Likewise, I am disgusted by systematic economic racism that has minimized and denied access to both economic opportunity and social justice to this community. This is not the America I thought I knew.

TiE’s mission as a give back organization is to help all entrepreneurs become successful. At TiE Oregon we are proud to support programs like TiE Angels, TiE XL Boot Camp, and TiE Young Entrepreneurs that have mentored and invested in entrepreneurs of color including black entrepreneurs. We believe in racial, gender, sexual identity and economic equality for all those who do not have access including black entrepreneurs.

I hope this incident and the out-pour of support converts into action so that we ensure the black community receives equity in wealth and social justice that it respectfully deserves. All lives don’t matter unless black lives matter.

Please join me in supporting Black Lives Matter and/or other organizations such as Black Visions Collective, George Floyd Memorial Fund, and Reclaim the Block, or any charity that helps restore dignity of human life.

Respectfully,
Nitin Rai
President | TiE Oregon