We are living in a time of considerable change. Change that should have happened a long time ago. It is utterly shameful that it has taken the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery for us to wake up to the reality of the racist society we’re living in — but the recent events in the United States have forced us to look hard at ourselves; as individuals, as a company, and at the society we live in here in the UK, in which systematic racism has been allowed to exist for hundreds of years.
From the outset, our mission at Fiit has been to make exercise a habit for every body, meaning a platform that is inclusive and non-judgmental. Our goal is to build a supportive community, which is there to help you push through the tough moments and celebrate your successes. Equality is fundamental to achieving this mission.
Today, we are asking ourselves tough questions and holding ourselves accountable to our mission. Ultimately, are we really doing enough to address the systems that facilitate racism and therefore make achieving our mission an impossibility? Have we really put equality at the heart of what we do?
And the answer, in short, is no. We absolutely have not done enough.
Right now our team, both on-screen and off, is not reflective of the amazingly diverse city which we call home. Frankly, that is not acceptable. As founders of the business, we agree that a social media post showing support for Black Lives Matter is not, and never will be, enough. We must embed change into our DNA. Below are some of the actions we will be taking.
Support: We will be giving support to causes that are working to eradicate racism. We’re currently talking to various organisations and will share details once things are finalised. Support will be in various forms — early ideas include having dedicated fundraising workouts in the app.
Engage: We are proud to be based in the Olympic Park in Hackney, one of the most diverse areas of London. We have been in discussion with the local community for a while now and will be guided by them as to what role we can play to support local groups and initiatives.
Hiring: We are adapting our recruitment process for both employees and trainers to ensure we are well represented. This includes changing where we look for talent as well as introducing processes that remove bias that can be attached to educational institutions.
Education: We will be running monthly sessions for employees on diversity and inclusion, listening to speakers who have experienced discrimination first hand and openly discuss ways we can all improve.
Accountability: While stating our intent is a good first step, we need to be held accountable. Once a quarter, we will share our progress along with voices from the black community from whom we can all learn.
This is just the start. We will continue to listen, educate ourselves, and use our power and agency to create change and support the black community.
Thank you for reading,
Dan, Ian, Sammi
Fiit Founders
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