enough is enough. Let’s talk about some tough topics.

We’ve all seen what’s been in the news lately. We all have our thoughts about it.

Personally, I’ve heard some disturbing things – some things that have made me realize that we still have not eradicated racism as much as I had grown to believe.

The fact of the matter is that bias is still out there.

It’s not easy for us as human beings to separate our preconceived notions, our stereotypes, and our previous experiences from the things we’re thinking and feeling in the moment. These things can impact us subconsciously and we may not even realize it’s happening. They can impact our perceptions and the way we treat individuals.

Unique human beings wind up paying the price for something someone else in their demographic did. They wind up paying the price for what we expect they’re going to do – whether it’s applicable to that individual or not.

I don’t think that’s right.

I don’t believe it’s right that, not only are lives being lost, but people are making excuses for it. I’ve been shocked by how many people have used their own personal beliefs about an entire demographic to justify an individual within that demographic being treated differently.

I believe that no matter what your previous experiences or preconceived beliefs of a particular demographic are, every single individual that comes before you deserves to be viewed and treated for who they are, personally.

While I can’t claim, anymore than any other human can, to be immune from bias, what I can do is be vigilant against it. I can make a commitment to double-check my thinking and to double-check my assumptions about a person. I can be disciplined about making it a practice to clear my mind of any baggage I could be carrying into a conversation or an interaction.

I can insist that everyone in my organization also be vigilant in treating every human being with the respect, dignity, and opportunity that they deserve as individuals.

The people who work for us, and the people we work with, are all members of our same species with complex thoughts, feelings, ambitions, and capabilities. It’s more than a concept and it’s more than politics – it’s real, live humans.

I’m committed to ensuring everyone is viewed as such whenever interacting with our company in any way.

That’s what the Negative InfinityTM initiative is about. I want to refocus on our human priorities. It’s the year 2020 (ok, maybe not theĀ best year we’ve had, but…), it’s the modern era. I’m beyond ‘zero tolerance’ for racism. I want my commitment and the commitment of Fortified Bio Labs, Maryland Packaging, Fusia Foods, and all our associated brands to go beyond that. We have Negative Infinity tolerance for racism (or really, for any -ism, when it comes right down to it).

Let’s be responsible human beings to one another and do our part to ensure that everyone has equal access to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

That’s where I stand, and I’m putting my money where my mouth is on this one.

– Marwan Moheyeldien