The Trade Desk observes Juneteenth
Today, June 19th, The Trade Desk is observing Juneteenth as a holiday to reflect and honor the day when Black slaves were legally freed in the United States. On that day in Texas alone, approximately 250,000 slaves were liberated. In the months and years that followed, formerly enslaved people sought to reunify families, establish schools, build businesses, push legislation and even sue slaveholders for compensation. Their efforts deserve our attention and respect.
Just as important is the recognition that we continue to fight racism in many forms today, more than 150 years later. At The Trade Desk, we are committed to doing more – in very practical ways – to help address issues of inequality. We are starting and expanding programs that focus on training, recruiting, education, partnerships and financial support. They include:
- Engaging with the Mosaic Project to create a more diverse talent pipeline into our company and our industry. This work takes many forms, and includes opportunities for own employees to serve as mentors.
- Expanding our recruiting partnerships to include Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to help provide more career paths into digital marketing.
- Building on our curriculum development programs with those colleges and universities so that students graduate with skills in the most high-value segments of our industry. This includes expanding access to The Trade Desk Edge Academy, the industry’s leading education and certification platform.
- Enhancing our internal learning and development initiatives to strengthen a culture of inclusion and understand unconscious bias.
- Begin a series of “Courageous Conversations” for employees to share their own experiences in ways that encourage dialogue, provide new perspectives, and increase empathy.
- Collaborating with The Ad Council and “Love Has No Labels,” donating use of our platform to secure ad spots for PSA’s focusing on the Black Lives Matters message.
- Increasing our financial support for organizations that address and advocate for equality and inclusion.
As we observe Juneteenth, we recognize that racism and bias are not new issues, and won’t be solved tomorrow. Living into our values of Openness and Generosity, we are encouraged by the passion of our employees not only to have their voices heard, but to activate for real change.