Recently, our country has come face to face with the ugliness of racism, police brutality, and semantic injustice. Demonstrations, peaceful protests and civil unrest have taken place in ALL 50 states and around the World. NCBMP Board, members and partners applaud the hospitality and events industry associations, corporations issuing statements to their employees, constituents and customers denouncing racism and injustice of any kind in their organizations and throughout society. While NCBMP applauds organizations and companies that have taken a stance and are standing in solidarity. We have also kept note of those who have remained silent. Your silence is loud and deafening.

In 1983, our founders assembled, organized and created a platform that spoke to the inequities, disparities and exclusion of African Americans within the industry before the word diversity was popular. They chose to speak up for collective empowerment and blazed the trail for what is known as the diversity market. Many of the organizations that are represented by NCBMP members were founded as an answer to the economic, political, social, religious and educational injustices of this nation. Frankly, many have increased the profile of many cities in their time of despair, set record revenue number within hotels, contributed to legislative policies that have changed the country and produced some of the best talent in the industry. For years NCBMP has trained some of our industry's best professionals and has vowed to "do business with our friends". The creed of our organization must stand the test of time. Our mission must not lose its integrity. The moral conscious of our industry is at a crossroads.