Greyline’s Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity
Greyline knows our greatest strengths come from those who make up our team. Diversity, equity and inclusivity (DEI) are ingrained in who we are today because of who we want to be tomorrow. We are dedicated to creating an inclusive space for all employees and extending this culture into our work. We’re taking steps to create more opportunities and build a more inclusive and diverse environment. We provide our team with training and tools to help increase their awareness and understanding of differences and why it matters. Greyline is best when every member of the team feels respected and heard. We are acting, we are leading, and we will drive change.
Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM)
American History is Jewish American History
- 1777: New York is the only state to grant political equality to Jews. Exactly 100 years later, New Hampshire follows suit as the last state in the nation to grant political equality.
- 1862: On December 17, General U.S. Grant expels Jews from the area occupied by the Army of Tennessee on the charge that they engaged in commercial traffic with the South.
- 1892: The American Jewish Historical Society is founded to foster awareness and appreciation of American Jewish Heritage. It serves as a national scholarly resource for research through the collection, preservation and dissemination of materials. It’s the nation’s oldest ethnic historical organization.
- 1913: The B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation League sets out to limit anti-Jewish agitation in the United States.
- 1921-1924: The Immigrant Acts of 1921 and 1924 closes America to Eastern European Jews.
- 1943: The Holocaust – American authorities do little to admit European Jewish refugees in substantial numbers to the U.S.
- 1965: The Hart-Celler Act amended the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, which abolished national-origin quotas.
- 1975: The United Nations General Assembly declares Zionism a form of racism and racial discrimination.
- 1993: The opening of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. and the release of Schindler’s List heighten public awareness of the Holocaust throughout the U.S.
- 2006: President George W. Bush proclaimed that May would be Jewish American Heritage Month.
Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month
American History is AAPI History
- 1854: People v. Hall: California Supreme Court Case ruled that Chinese eyewitnesses could not testify against white defendants. Hall, who was a white man on trial for murder was not convicted as three Chinese eyewitnesses were not able to testify against him.
- 1882: Chinese Exclusion Act barred skilled and unskilled Chinese laborers from entering or reentering the U.S. It was one of the first race-based immigration policies for the U.S. and marked a turn from a country that, to some degree, previously welcomed immigrants with open arms. The ability to enter the country based on higher status or employment background further exacerbated the hate and stereotypes towards these communities, especially in light of unemployment in the country. When finally repealed in 1943, the government still only allowed a quota of 105 Chinese immigrants each year. Chinese immigrants protested and were able to effectively utilize the court system to overturn laws and fight for their rights. The government gave jurisdiction of immigration to the Bureau of Immigration, which effectively cut off immigrants’ access to the courts and due process as they were now subject to a bureaucratic system of discrimination that operated without judicial scrutiny or oversight.
- World War II & 1943: More than 112,000 Japanese Americans were forcibly removed from their homes to internment camps for up to four years, and in the process lost their livelihoods and savings. After the war, the War Relocation Authority (WRA) – with its first office in Chicago – resettled Japanese Americans out of the camps and away from the West Coast on the grounds of “assimilation.”
- 1982: The Killing of Vincent Chin. Global events in the 90s and 80s brought about waves of hate similar to today. The global oil crisis, which caused the decimation of the auto industry, led many Americans to blame Japan. Vincent Chin, a Chinese American in Detroit, was killed on the night of his bachelor party by men who thought he was Japanese. While his killers did not spend a day in jail, the events led to a national civil rights movement for the AAPI community.
