Celebrating Black History Month at Greystar

Earlier this month, in a message to Greystar team members, I shared one of Maya Angelou’s famous quotes: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” When I considered this quote in the context of Black History Month, I thought about the empathy we need to have for our fellow team members and residents. To me, this month is an opportunity for some to learn and others to share, and ultimately, build empathy for one another.

Over the month of February, I’ve been encouraged by the activity across LinkedIn sharing what many companies and organizations are doing to celebrate Black History Month. It is inspiring to see what words, actions, and moments connect people across the country – and around the world – to Black history. 

While Black History Month technically only spans the month of February in the US, it is certainly something we should celebrate throughout the year. Fortunately, Greystar has teams in the UK, Ireland, and the Netherlands, and when they celebrate in October, I look forward to learning more through the European lens.

In the spirit of seeing so many wonderful celebrations shared on LinkedIn, I’d be remiss if I didn’t spend a moment complimenting our team members across the US who have made Black History Month memorable. From our teams in California who created commemorative t-shirts to fundraise for local organizations to the great dialogue on our Cultural Conversations series, I’m so proud to see the many ways our appreciation for Black history is displayed across the organization. While as an organization we still have more to do on our ultimate DEI journey, the progress we’ve made thus far, and the willingness of team members to be active participants in it is moving. 

A highlight of the month for me was the opportunity I had to interview Dr. Elijah Heyward of the International African American Museum. This incredible new museum is under construction now right here in Charleston, SC, and I couldn’t be prouder of our support of it and am excited for it to open.

Dr. Heyward and I had a great conversation touching on the focus of the Museum, the social justice movement, how valuable history is as a way to engage with others, and so much more. One thing he said really struck me: “The hope comes in the fact education can be a tool to advance us. When we learn about the past and we learn about how we got here, we can understand the importance of tolerance.” I find hope in the fact educators like Dr. Heyward will continue to find new ways to teach so we can all learn the value of tolerance and empathy.

Visit the International African American Museum’s website at www.iaamuseum.org.