The Power of Our Communities: Celebrating Black History Month

By Julius Cox, Executive Vice President, People, Shared Service and Supply Chain

Since I joined PG&E 12 months ago, it has been a joy to see how PG&E works to raise awareness about the various cultures that make up our PG&E team.

Reading the stories we’ve published on social media of our coworkers sharing why they’re proud of their heritage and the impact it has made on their lives has been very heartwarming and eye-opening at the same time. Taking the time to understand the unique experiences, backgrounds and heritages of our coworkers deepens our knowledge and connection to each other.

This is what I truly value about our heritage/history months. Each one provides an opportunity for awareness and discussion.

I’m thrilled to kick off the first heritage month of the year, Black History Month, and honored to join the Black Employee Resource Group and National Society of Black Engineers in celebrating this year’s theme: The Power of the Black Community.

Over its 41 years, the Black ERG has made a difference in various ways, such as creating a mentorship program for coworkers that was so successful it was replicated and used by others across the organization. NSBE has served a critical role in supporting Blacks in engineering and as recruiter of talent for PG&E by leveraging national NSBE networking and events to attract interns and college graduates for our rotational engineering program.

During February, we will also highlight how many of our coworkers have harnessed the power of the Black community. We will highlight coworkers who graduated from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). HBCUs have been shaping the minds and talents of graduates who have gone on to power our communities, corporations, and educational institutions.

I’m looking forward to reading the profiles of those who attended one of the more than 100 HBCUs and learning more about the experiences that have shaped their lives and careers.

We will also have the opportunity to engage in awareness and discussion with a number of internal online webinars—including creating awareness of sickle cell disease in the Black community by celebrating the life of Dr. Charles Drew, who developed ways to process and store plasma; “Slavery by Another Name” – featuring well-known genealogist Nicka Sewell-Smith; and a fun trivia contest that will increase everyone’s knowledge of Black History Month.

We encourage you to take a moment to exercise your curiousity during February to learn more about the rich history of the Black community. So many Black men and women have helped to shape and power our communities, our hometowns and our nation. And by celebrating the power of the Black community, it also strengthens our bond and connection as one PG&E family...#PowerInUnity.

Email Currents at Currents@pge.com