BEN IN San Francisco
In San Francisco, BEN Bay Area participated in MLK Jr Day march with Our Collective and 15+ tech companies. The Adobe contingent consisted of over 40 employees from senior leadership to members from various employee networks, including their families as we marched in solidarity to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King’s Jr Legacy. Helina Nadew, Adobe MLK Day March lead, spoke briefly on behalf of the employee network to an audience of over a thousand Our Collective participants acknowledging BEN’s presence. We closed out the morning activities by leading the march through Soma area of SF and proudly holding the Our Collective banner. The entire MLK Jr Day SF March consisted of over ten thousandths marching from different walks of life.
"I’m so proud to work for a company that constantly provides their employees with opportunities to make an impact. For MLK Day over 40 Adobe employees and their families came together to join over 15 tech companies to march in celebration of MLK and his legacy of justice and community."
Helina Nadew, Technical University Talent Partner & San Francisco BEN Member
“It’s important that we, Adobe, continue to participate in community initiatives that fall on the principles of equality for all. It was energizing and refreshing to march with a sea of folks from tech companies and to lead the march on the group’s behalf.”
Carita Marrow, D&I Talent Program Manager & San Jose BEN Member
BEN in Washington, D.C.
BEN started off the long weekend strong with a country wide meetup in Washington, D.C. encompassing BEN members from the San Jose, San Francisco, and McLean offices. While in Washington, BEN members were able to grow as a family through fellowship, activism, community service. BEN members stayed at Eaton Workshop Hotel a boutique hotel that focuses on being an inclusive fathering place for change makers and creatives. This theme set the tone for the rest of the trip.
BEN members, alongside 100,000 people, flooded Pennsylvania Avenue for the Women’s March with the mission to harness the political power of diverse women and their communities to create transformative social change. After the march, members headed to the MLK memorial to reflect on the purpose of this weekend.
“Adobe brought together a group from all over the country, from all different backgrounds, to honor a man whose vision continues to shape the lives of millions today. Having the opportunity to travel to the nation’s capital, stand in front of MLK’s monument, and read his words of compassion and love for humanity, was a truly humbling experience.”
Markeia Brox-Chester, Sr. Operations Associate & San Francisco BEN Member
On the last day in D.C., BEN members committed to participating in the MLK Day of Service by giving their time to a local cause. They volunteered with Greater Washington Urban League to create hygiene kits. BEN members also donated approximately $380 in monetary donations alongside $320 worth of toiletries. The goal of Greater Washington Urban League is to increase the economic and political empowerment of historically vulnerable and diverse populations.
The BEN’s D.C. trip was also an opportunity for BEN members to participate in fellowship. They got to live, eat, and have fun together the entire weekend. It is important to our organization that diverse employees feel a sense of community, regardless of where they are located. More than ever before, our employee networks provide a place where employees can feel a sense of belonging, especially during moments that work life can be challenging. BEN members showed this sense of family by supporting their very own, Jeanetta Taylor, in the Let Freedom Ring! Choir performance at the Kennedy Center.