Celebrating Black History Month

At Haven Life, we believe it’s important to have candid conversations not because they are easy, but because they are hard—whether it’s having that critical discussion with your loved ones about financial coverage in the event of your death, or whether it’s having a team conversation about race in the workplace.

That’s why this February, in honor of Black History Month, Haven Life held several events that encouraged a dialogue about, and celebration of, African-American culture. These events included a soul food luncheon and an African drum and dance performance, plus a panel discussion in which all members of our team could express and share their perspectives on their professional and personal experiences. Our team walked away from these initiatives more united around our commitment to workplace inclusivity.

The panel was moderated by office manager extraordinaire Shadea Blyther, and addressed the everyday workplace challenges experienced by people of color. Panelists also included Devon Cooke (Executive Assistant to the CEO & CTO), Judy Hopkins (Head of Legal for Haven Life), Nkenge Blue (Product Actuary), Kofi James (Product Actuary), Morgan Clarke (Recruiting Partner) and Shekendra Jones (Brand Creative Producer). 

What we discussed goes beyond the walls of Haven Life HQ, which is why we wanted to share excerpts from our conversation with you. Here are the highlights, organized by topic.

On history

“Black History Month, to me, means sacrifice. Because without the sacrifices of the people that came before me, I may not be sitting in this position that I’m in now. And to highlight the fact that a lot of issues activists before my time were fighting for, we’re still kind of fighting for those issues today.”— Cooke

On culture

“Cultural identity to me is what my parents have instilled in me. It’s the culture they were raised in and to negate that in any way is to negate what their experiences were. Their experiences…help define who I am. It’s important for me to never lose sight of that.” — Hopkins

“It took me 4 years in the workforce before I felt comfortable wearing my natural hair. I didn’t feel like I could come in as my full self, I had to prove I was worthy first. It’s always a battle because, if you’re the only one in the room that looks like you, you do the best you can to fit in.”  — Blue

On stereotypes

“I am never late.” — Jones, after noting that nagging stereotypes mean that a late subway or slow elevator can be seen as a misguided reflection on one’s entire race.

On education

“I don’t know any black person my age whose grandparents went to college. Even the idea of college from a generational perspective is a somewhat new achievement.” — Blue