ATLANTA (June 19, 2020) – In a memo to all Huber employees, CEO Mike Marberry announced that Huber has joined a petition urging the Georgia General Assembly to pass new legislation addressing crimes motivated by prejudice based on race, religion, sexual orientation or other grounds.

On behalf of the more than 680 Huber employees in Georgia—and our colleagues around the world—I have added Huber’s name to a petition of businesses to support a proposed hate crimes bill in this state. A hate crime is an act motivated by prejudice based on race, religion, sexual orientation or other grounds. Georgia is one of only four US states that does not have a law against hate crimes. This week, Huber has stepped forward to join many other companies in petitioning the Georgia General Assembly to pass new state legislation that addresses this.

As stated in my memo against racism and injustice, the Respect for People Principle as well as our ‘I Belong at Huber’ journey inspires us to treat everyone with dignity and fairness. Promoting Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) is also completely aligned with the beliefs and values of our Huber family owners. This way of thinking motivated me to become part of the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™, one of the largest business affiliations to be publicly committed to advancing D&I within the workplace. When I joined this affiliation nearly two years ago, there were about 500 CEOs involved. Now, this group has grown to over 1,000.

In recent years, Huber has increasingly received outside recognition for the superb way we manage our business and drive the company’s sustainability efforts. These external awards have raised our company profile, giving Huber a larger platform to make its voice heard in the world around us. This gives the Corporation and its leaders an opportunity as well as a responsibility to advocate for equality and justice beyond the boundaries of our own Company.

Today is Juneteenth in the US. While the Emancipation Proclamation (which freed slaves in the US) took effect in 1863, it was not until June 19, 1865, that slaves in Galveston, Texas, learned that they were freed. For this reason, Juneteenth is the symbolic end of slavery in the United States. Considering this milestone, it is even more meaningful now that Huber has added its voice to a petition that will help drive positive change at a time when Black people and other minorities are still struggling to gain equality and justice in this country.

According to the Metro Atlanta Chamber, over 600 companies that employ more than 7 million workers have signed the hate crimes petition so far. I am proud that Huber has joined a growing population of citizens and businesses across America that are now demanding a better future with fairness, justice and equality for all people.