Black history’s power to connect us to each other and our communities

When I joined 微米 a little over a year ago to lead our Manassas manufacturing fab, I was excited about the state of our technology and the investments we were making to grow our status as a world-leading provider of memory and storage solutions for all. But I was equally excited about the tremendous opportunity I saw for us to invest in our communities. Manassas is home to a diverse mix of people — so many talented women, 有色人种, 退伍军人等. I saw enormous potential for us to tap into this diversity, not just for recruiting but also for learning and growing as a 公司.

今年的黑人历史月于2月6日结束. 28, I had the chance to reflect on the promise and potential that so inspired me. I’m one of the executive co-sponsors of 微米’s Black Employee Network (BEN) employee resource group (ERG) — my co-sponsor is our CEO, 桑杰Mehrotra, which is a testament to his personal commitment to fostering 包容.

In my career, I’ve seen a lot of Black History Month observances. Too many only touch the surface — a 公司 event in the cafeteria with food, t恤和一些文化庆祝活动. 这样的活动很有趣, 但我们的团队成员也需要被关注, especially when issues outside work affect how they show up at work. Awareness months like Black History Month provide opportunities to discuss issues openly and vulnerably, and to create a common understanding that connects us, builds empathy and enables us to truly act as one — both at work and in how we engage the communities where we work, 生活和娱乐.

我为这个黑人历史月感到骄傲, team members at 微米 engaged in some of these hard conversations. I had the honor of hosting a discussion with poet, 活动家兼教授尼基·乔瓦尼, who fostered a lyrical and moving dialogue about what ties people together. “生活在地球上是一种责任, and part of that responsibility is to get rid of the fear,她分享道。.

Notably, this event was sponsored by multiple teams across 微米, including our 多元化、平等和包容(DEI)团队, BEN, our 微米 Women’s 领导 Network ERG and our Tenured and Experienced at 微米 ERG. It was one of many other joint events held this month, from a panel discussion about Black and Asian solidarity that we jointly offered with Flex, to an enlightening discussion about being Black and a member of the LGBTQ+ community in Idaho. These events demonstrated that Black history is American history — it’s all of our history.

I’ve seen firsthand how this shared understanding empowers 微米 to show up differently in our communities. 在过去的一年里，美光已经做到了 投资了一个6000平方英尺的洁净室 在诺福克州立大学, a public historically black university located three hours from our Manassas site. Our partnership with NSU has so far resulted in 50 hires from the university. It’s also created opportunities to partner with other universities in our region, from other historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) like Virginia State, 北卡罗来纳州A&T和霍华德大学, to non-HBCUs such as George Mason University and our local community college in Manassas, 北弗吉尼亚社区学院.

As 微米 extends its footprint into the southeastern United States through our 亚特兰大的新设计中心, we can build on the activities and lessons we’ve learned here in Virginia. The talent opportunity in Atlanta and across the Southeast is immense, and we aren’t the only ones who see the opportunity in that region. 它的竞争, but fortunately we have some strong relationships and experience from the other areas in which we operate around the world that can inform our efforts in Atlanta.

I was excited that several of our leaders attended a 2月高调活动. 24 由克拉克亚特兰大大学主办. Speakers detailed the importance of fully funding the 芯片的行为 and investing in STEM education to build the talent pipeline our industry demands.

I’m gratified that 微米 is leading the way in its commitment to DEI, and I’m eager to see what strides we make in my second year with the 公司.