Celebrating Black History Month and Black @ Convoy

February is a special month at Convoy this year. Not only are we commemorating Black History Month, but we are also celebrating the six-month anniversary of Black@Convoy, one of our Employee Resource Groups (ERG). 

Black@Convoy’s mission is to represent and celebrate Black employees at Convoy. Black@ creates a supportive and inclusive community for our Black employees. We also focus on employee growth, allyship, recruitment and community engagement efforts. Over the past six months, we have hosted multiple events and taken several steps pursuant to the mission. From establishing a leadership council to organizing office hours to help coworkers create their voting plans for the November 2020 elections, Black@ has established roots within the company and is driving impact within the community. In October, we co-sponsored an event with Women@Convoy featuring Dr. Carmen McGee, an Atlanta-based OB/GYN specializing in breast health for women of color. We also hosted a virtual recruiting event at Spelman College to recruit Black women for Convoy roles in Operations and Engineering. Just last month Black@ co-sponsored a second event with Women@Convoy featuring speaker Keita Williams of Success Bully discussing tactics and strategies for setting and hitting goals in 2021. 

For Black History Month, Black@Convoy is hosting a series of events and workshops, including educational events to teach co-workers about the importance of Black History Month, spotlights on black-owned businesses, causes that support Black people, and more. We are also creating space for employees to speak and learn about the Black experience. To me, Black History Month is important because I wasn’t formally taught about Black history until I went to Spelman – a Historically Black College. Being at work, and being able to engage in activities that celebrate, honor, and recognize the culture and achievements of Black people, allows me to feel seen and further fuels my mission to drive DE&I efforts at Convoy.

In early February, Black@ hosted Dr. Yolanda Watson Spiva, President of Complete College America, to speak about her journey as a Black woman executive and provide tips to all employees on how to be successful in their career. These events are designed to foster a supportive and inclusive community at Convoy and build on the work that has already been underway.

Looking ahead to the rest of 2021, Black@Convoy will host more events to engage the community and increase their focus on ERG member engagement, retention, and recruitment. Events will include panel discussions featuring Black leaders both internal and external to Convoy, fireside chats, small group discussions about issues impacting Convoy’s Black employees, outside speakers, happy hours, and parties to build camaraderie. These early days of the Black@Convoy ERG have helped Convoy to become more inclusive, focus on equity, and stand against racism. We look forward to all we can accomplish as our company grows.

Convoy celebrates diversity in its carrier network. If you’re a carrier and want to learn about new opportunities, reach out to us at supplierdiversity@convoy.com or visit our supplier diversity page for more information.