In February, our company hosted a special Lunar New Year celebration. Many of our team members showed up for a virtual tour of San Francisco’s Chinatown, shared photos of dumplings made with families, and supported local Asian restaurants by ordering food. Our Design team also created a distinctive logo to mark the occasion of year of the Ox. Overall, it was a fantastic event which celebrated a vital part of our company culture.
From that high point of February’s Lunar New Year celebration, it’s also important to note that the past year has been challenging for the Asian-American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. The recent wave of anti-Asian hate crimes provides an important reminder that a complete and comprehensive nationwide dismantling of racism, xenophobia, prejudice, and oppression is non-negotiable in achieving justice, equality, and peace across all cultures and communities.
May is Asian-American Pacific Heritage Month, which provides an opportunity to elevate Asian voices and combat hate by celebrating diversity. The commemorative month also gives us a chance to recognize and reflect on API culture at our company. Members of our API employee resource group shared thoughts on their role in defining our collective identity at Spin:
“I’m proud to work for a company where more than 25% of full-time salaried employees identify as a person of Asian descent,” said Alex April, our head of Government Partnerships in the US West. She added, “It’s clear to me that Spin is committed to hiring a diverse workforce, and it’s enriching to be a part of a work community that values and commits to different perspectives and backgrounds.”
Other team members reflected on solidarity and strength. “As an immigrant of Asian descent, it feels great to work at a place where my perspectives and experiences are understood and shared amongst my coworkers,” remarked Benny Wong, our Chief Technology Officer. And he also noted that “equal representation helps incorporate balanced perspectives into our decision making, which it’s something we strive for here at Spin.”
Chris Yang, one of our Senior Launch Managers, used the prompt to reflect on something that he hadn’t previously thought much about, “Spin’s Asian representation honestly did not cross my mind until the question was asked,” he said. “I will say, the diversity, and abilities, of my peers has certainly accelerated my professional development,” Yang concluded.
Another aspect of diversity at Spin is the importance we place on our internal team being a reflection of the diverse communities we serve. Our Director of Sustainability, Hui Wen Chan, spoke to this: “Spin’s commitment to diversity and inclusion extends beyond our workforce. It truly permeates throughout our work in cities and communities.”
At its best, America’s diversity creates a beautiful and unique blend of culture, one that’s vibrant, thriving, and dynamic, which embraces innovation and develops creative solutions for pressing problems. At Spin, this is the world we are working to create. Starting on our own teams and extending outwards to the communities and campuses where we operate, we want to see cities in full motion, brimming with diversity and equity.
We’re grateful that Asian American Pacific Heritage Month has allowed us to shine the light on such a significant segment of our company and our country.
