We hear you. We see you. We stand with you.

MIP’s mission is to help bring great ideas to life, and we know that certain ideas take a long time to be realized. Sometimes that’s okay, but in this case it is not. An idea that is long overdue is racial equality and justice. We, like many across the globe, feel the sadness, frustration, and anger that has erupted from these senseless acts of injustice.

The deaths of people like George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and the countless people of colour disproportionately affected by the Coronavirus must drive us to fight for equality and justice for all, in everything that we do. We see you. We hear you.

Last week, MIP’s Board of Directors approved a Diversity and Inclusion Statement that formalizes our commitment to diversity, inclusion, respect, and civility in all aspects of the organization and the park’s operations. While this is a good step forward, statements alone will not right the injustices that have been engrained in society for so many years. We must listen to those who might appear different. We must come to understand, have compassion for, and care for our fellow man. We must educate ourselves about the complex topic that is racism, and we must live to the higher ideals of democracy.

MIP exists to foster innovation and growth- a mission that cannot be realized without the diversity represented in our world. As a research park, MIP cannot hope to take on these weighty challenges alone. The process of innovation and bringing ideas to life is, and always will be, a team sport. Let there be no doubt about what team MIP is with – we stand in solidarity with those who believe and strive for equality and justice. It is an idea well past its time and we invite everyone around the world to join us in standing for what is right. #BlackLivesMatter

 - Ty Shattuck, CEO