Today, many organizations in Massachusetts issued statements on the conviction yesterday of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the murder of George Floyd. All were good and worthwhile. And one of the best came from Andrew Dreyfus, president and chief executive officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and a veteran of the Michael Dukakis administration.
Dreyfus's statement was directed primarily at the company's 3,700 employees. Here it is in its entirety:
"Many of us today are reflecting on the guilty verdict in the murder of George Floyd. For the past week, our board member Quincy Miller noted, 'it has felt like our very humanity was on trial.' In the end, Mr. Floyd's humanity was recognized. His life mattered.
"And his death mattered. Mr. Floyd's senseless killing, at the hands of a police officer sworn to protect him, spurred outrage and anguish in America, as well as vital dialogue and action.
"One verdict does not mark victory in a long fight for justice and accountability, but I hope it does mark progress in a battle that will continue. We know we can only begin to heal as a nation if we act together to address racism and injustice.
"Our company is committed to racial justice and committed to doing the hard work of healing. We are confronting the crisis of racial health inequities and working to create a more equitable health care system, especially for people of color. We are supporting Black and Brown leaders in our community, including organizations focused on police reform. Working together, we can begin to put an end to inequities.
"Much work remains to be done, in our company and in our community.
"Here at Blue Cross, we will continue our dialogues on racial equity and prejudice, including at next month's Company Connect and in June when, for the first time as a company, we mark Juneteenth, the day that commemorates the end of slavery.
"Racial injustice and bias bring pain and fear to members of our own community, and I have been proud to see our associates support each other and show solidarity. Today, I encourage you to connect with others -- check on colleagues, reach out if you are feeling hurt. We can take strength from our common values of respect, dignity, and equity for all."
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts has nearly three million members. Dreyfus has been a part of the organization's executive team since 2005 and its president/CEO since 2010. Before that, he served for years in the leadership of the Massachusetts Hospital Association (MHA).
I got to know him back in the last century when working in public relations for community hospitals. I served for a spell on an MHA committee dealing with public affairs, which he staffed, and have since bumped into him occasionally at the State House or on a downtown sidewalk -- meetings all too rare for my liking.
If you ever want to encounter a truly upright human being, if you ever want (or need) the experience of being unmistakably in the presence of goodness, seek an encounter with Andrew Dreyfus.
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