June 22, 2020

A Note from our Founder & CEO

We are listening, we are learning, and we will continue to evolve and do better. We stand in solidarity with the fight for justice and equality, and actively condemn racism of any kind.

Cashman & Associates has been a staunch supporter and advocate for minority business owners, consultants, vendors, entrepreneurs, and political leaders and we will continue to do so as well as explore new opportunities for partnership. We will continue to prioritize diversity within our networks and among our team, and our work with our collegiate partners on fostering an inclusive environment for internships and post-graduate opportunities will sustain. We will continue our work with recruiters and minority talent networks for our growing team.

Now, more than ever, we understand the importance of doing our part to elevate other minority-owned organizations. Already in 2020, we have exemplified this longstanding commitment through our support of the following diverse organizations:

• C&A is matching 100% of employee donations throughout the months of June and July, up to $1,000 in total, to any organizations or campaigns that are fighting for the equitable treatment of and/or fostering opportunity for people of color and the LGBTQ+ community. Most recently we’ve matched donations to Race Forward, an organization that brings systemic analysis and an innovative approach to complex race issues to help people take effective action toward racial equity. 
• As longstanding supporters of the LGBTQ+ community, we sponsored Philly Pride 2020 in cash and in-kind, and have kept with our tradition of sharing our Pride logo on all our social media channels in solidarity with the fight for equality.
• We champion the work of the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists and following a corporate education meeting with the organization earlier this year, we have implemented our membership and corporate level sponsorship for the year 2020/20201. We are continuing to explore larger partnership initiatives with their leadership.
• We’re thrilled to expand our cash and in-kind support of the Greater Philadelphia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and have solidified our corporate sponsorship for 2020/2021.

At Cashman & Associates we are dedicated to strengthening our commitment to diversity and inclusion in our work moving forward. We’re fostering conversation and reflection within our team and externally with our clients and partners. We’re putting an emphasis on providing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training for all team members through our internal continuing education program with Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning program and various consultants. As a result of our conversations, the team has been circulating countless resources including but not limited to:

• Campaign Zero
• White Fragility, by Robin Diangelo
• The 13^th
• NAACP Legal Defense Fund
• Color of Change
• When they See Us
• Baltimore Rising
• Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla F. Saad
• Braids and Appropriation in America – ELLE
• More than Enough, by Elaine Welteroth

We thank you for your support of our agency, and we’ll continue to share more about our journey in the coming months as we continue to work with our team and partners to support anti-racism and continue to foster diversity and inclusion.

With love,
Nicole A. Cashman