Feb 28, 2023 | Inside Thomson Reuters

Throughout February, we celebrate Black History Month in the U.S. and Canada. At Thomson Reuters, this year’s theme is Black Resilience. During the month, we hosted sessions for colleagues to celebrate and learn more about the history, achievements, and contributions of Black people in the U.S. and Canada.

We also interviewed and shared stories from our Black Employee Network throughout the month to hear about their experience being a part of our business resource groups at Thomson Reuters.

Overview of the Black Employee Network

The Black Employee Network is an employee-led business resource group with a mission to foster the inclusion and advancement of employees that self-identify as Black or of African descent at Thomson Reuters. Our aim is to partner with decision-makers and brand ambassadors to attract, retain and develop Black talent and make Thomson Reuters a great place to work.

There are eight global chapters of the network located in Ann Arbor, Brazil, Dallas, DC/Virtual, Minneapolis, New York, Toronto/Canada Virtual, and London/UKI with co-leads leading each chapter.

Brian, a Marketing Development Representative in Ann Arbor shared why he decided to co-lead the Ann Arbor chapter.

“I joined the Black Employee Network because I wanted to be a part of change at Thomson Reuters. I chose to accept the co-lead nomination for our Black Employee Network business resource group in Ann Arbor to continue advancing our collective efforts in putting our faces in higher places.”

Jimma, our Global Chief Compliance Officer and General Counsel of the TR Enterprise Center also shared why diversity is so important to her.

“Diversity, at large, is a critical issue to me. I believe mentoring or sponsoring diverse individuals is even more critical. Regarding Black talent, in particular, it is important for Black employees and potential candidates to see someone who looks like them in a leadership role.”

Activities and events across Canada and the United States

Our regional business resource group chapters led various in-person and virtual events throughout the month. Here is a recap of a few events:

Early in February, we held a virtual event called ‘Mindfulness to Heal From Microaggressions’ with mindfulness and breathwork specialist Zhalisa “Zee” Clarke. In this session, Zee spent an hour providing us with powerful tools including meditation, breathwork, yoga, and much more in order to teach others how mindfulness and breathwork can improve well-being despite any challenges that race or gender might present.

Our Black Employee Network also hosted a terrific talk with Adrian Miller titled ‘Does Soul Food Need a Warning Label?’ and it was truly enlightening. Adrian Miller is a food writer, attorney, and certified barbecue judge. Our Head of Future of Work, Chris Louie, had the privilege of interviewing Adrian and described it as “a walk through the history of soul food in America, mapped against the Black experience in this country—the accomplishments, challenges, and continual resilience.”

Adrian took us on a deep dive into the origins of soul food, tracing it from West Africa to the American West, and shared what people of West African heritage ate before European contact and during different time periods throughout African American history. He also identified current and future trends in soul food. We’re grateful for the opportunity to have learned so much from Adrian and look forward to sharing more about our Black History Month events.

In our Minneapolis campus, our Black Employee Network and Pride at Work chapters hosted ‘Sugar in Our Wounds: Exploring Resilience with Penumbra Theatre.’ This program featured a dramatic reading and discussion of the Penumbra Theater production of Sugar in our Wounds, Donja R. Love’s drama set on a southern plantation in 1862, where “two young enslaved men torn from their families find solace in one another, propelling them into a harrowing fight for love and survival.” This one-hour program focused on courage, hope, and reinvention amidst significant adversity through the lens of Black Queer love.

Learn more about our business resource groups

All current Thomson Reuters employees are welcome to join the Black Employee Network. Colleagues are welcome to participate in any capacity, whether they want to be added to our email list to stay up to date on the Black Employee Network or join a committee to help bring an upcoming event to life.

To learn more about our business resource groups at Thomson Reuters, check out our Inside Thomson Reuters page!