200714GDJB032
July 14, 2020. Boston, MA.
Demonstrators protested in front of Vertex Pharmaceuticals, a major employer in the biotech industry. The rally led by Action for Equity cited hiring statistics in a report by the Mass Technology Leadership Council that estimated that only about 5 percent of people working in technology in Massachusetts are Black and that 7 percent are Hispanic or Latino. The demonstrators demanded that representatives of several large Boston companies meet with them to discuss hiring of people of color. Mela Miles, president of Action for Equity, said that underrepresentation in white-collar jobs such as those in tech is taking a toll during the COVID-19 pandemic as job losses pile up elsewhere, and essential workers face the choice of risking their health or losing their jobs. Demonstrators said a representative from Vertex had agreed to arrange a conversation with them, and that they had also secured an exchange with General Electric. A representative of State Street Corp. said that company also intends to reach out to event organizers.
© 2020 Marilyn Humphries
200714GDJB032
July 14, 2020. Boston, MA.
Demonstrators protested in front of Vertex Pharmaceuticals, a major employer in the biotech industry. The rally led by Action for Equity cited hiring statistics in a report by the Mass Technology Leadership Council that estimated that only about 5 percent of people working in technology in Massachusetts are Black and that 7 percent are Hispanic or Latino. The demonstrators demanded that representatives of several large Boston companies meet with them to discuss hiring of people of color. Mela Miles, president of Action for Equity, said that underrepresentation in white-collar jobs such as those in tech is taking a toll during the COVID-19 pandemic as job losses pile up elsewhere, and essential workers face the choice of risking their health or losing their jobs. Demonstrators said a representative from Vertex had agreed to arrange a conversation with them, and that they had also secured an exchange with General Electric. A representative of State Street Corp. said that company also intends to reach out to event organizers.
© 2020 Marilyn Humphries