How CareSource Amplifies Black Voices on our Team

CareSource leaders, along with the Equity Council and the Black Employee Network (BEN), are taking a stand in support of social justice across America for our employees, members, friends and family.

“The time for patiently waiting for change to occur is over. We at CareSource are certainly ready to do our part,” said Erhardt Preitauer, President & CEO, CareSource. “I'm assembling a diverse group of employees to listen, seek to understand, and ultimately assure we are doing everything we can to support inclusion and diversity across our organization, both for our employees and our members.”

CareSource revamped our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Program earlier this year and launched the BEN, the organization’s first Employee Resource Group. These groups are helping to create dialogue, building community and driving inclusion across CareSource like never before.

“This is an opportunity for us to examine our inherent biases, educate ourselves on other cultures and the plights that are faced—more importantly to amplify the voice of the voiceless,” said Regina Miolan, Chairperson, CareSource Black Employee Network. “We as a CareSource community can do our part together! The Equity Council and the Black Employee Network are committed to sharing and educating on our cultural difference in order to move towards a more unified workforce.”

Short Term Training

Continuing with our courageous, organization-wide conversations, we invited diversity and leadership speaker and trainer Dr. Omekongo Dibinga to speak to our organization on Friday, June 12. Dr. Dibinga has shared his work nationally and internationally and will help us process where we are, where we can go as a country, and even as a company.

We were thrilled to host @omekongo as he spoke to all employees, challenging us to move past just being an ally to full partnership. It's a challenge we take to heart. To learn more about our ongoing commitment to #DEI and being #uniquelycaresource visit: https://t.co/3qqN0zIXpM pic.twitter.com/ZBXrKUhSWI

— CareSource (@caresource) June 15, 2020

Library of Resources

BEN is also providing resources for education and actionable resources for all CareSource employees to read, watch and listen.

Literature to Read

• "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
• "White Fragility" by Robin J. Diangelo
• "Slavery By Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans From the Civil War to World War II, PBS based on book by Douglas Blackmon
• "Your Kids Aren't Too Young to To Talk About Race: Resource Roundup" by Katrina Michie
• "For Our White Friends Desiring to Be Allies" by Courtney Ariel
• The 1619 Project (all articles)published by the New York Times magazine ​
• "The Intersectionality Wars" by Jane Coaston/May 28, 2019 
• "Blacks and Whites See Racism in the US Very Very Differently"​ by Ryan Struyk

Media to Watch

• "Courageous Conversations: Sharing Stories About Race and Pledging to Practice More" 
• "Selma"
• "When They See Us"
• "13th"
• "White Lies We Tell Our Children"
• "The Enduring Myth of Black Criminality"
• "Equity vs Equality"
• "Just Mercy"

Podcasts to Listen To

• "Code Switch" produced by NPR
• "1619"produced by The New York Times
• "Pod Save the People" produced by Crooked Media

This is certainly not an exhaustive list but one that will be growing and changing library of resources.

Long Term Strategy

A team of CareSource employees including representation from the Equity Council and the Black Employee Network have been tasked with developing an inclusive strategy meant to listen, support, appreciate and educate.  This strategy, entitled, “Are YOU Listening?” will have a three-pronged approach:

• Action Now!

Develop action initiatives that will take place in the following weeks focused on a primary goal of listening to our Black employees. Our theme is “Are You Listening.”

• Becoming Color Brave

Create the forum for open and safe communication about racism, continuing to listen, fostering an inclusive environment, reaching out to all of the CareSource family. We want to take into consideration all of the individuals who make CareSource such a great company.

• Sustainability

Ensure our actions are not limited by the current attention these atrocities are receiving, sustainability carries the most significant weight because it’s putting initiatives in place that not only measure our performance but make us accountable to this promise.

CareSource is committed to ending racism starting with every interaction our employees have with our members, providers, community partners and colleagues.