From: Gwynne Shotwell
Date: Jun. 3, 2020 [Ed: time stamp redacted]
To: Everyone
Subj. Demo 2 and Changing the World
SpaceX Team,
On Sunday, SpaceX successfully delivered its first humans, NASA Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the international Space Station. I hope each of you takes great pride in this extraordinary accomplishment. Until now, only three countries – Russia, the United States and China – have achieved the feat. Your commitment to the safe passage of ‘The Dads’ has required perseverance, sacrifice and a pursuit of a better, more exciting future. I truly believe there is no other group of people that could have made this happen – thank you and congratulations on the mission success thus far.
In speaking of trying to attain a better future, we must acknowledge the current reality. The death of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and so many more highlight the difficulties that communities of color face. These events are troubling. If you are struggling personally or would like to talk to someone, please reach out to your HR Rep, or visit our benefits page to learn about resources provided by Lyra Health and other services. It is ok (and encouraged) to take a moment, or the time you need, to deal with this.
I want to ensure that SpaceX is a place where these difficulties are recognized and certainly a place where bias and discrimination are not tolerated. I will be meeting with our African American employees this week so that we can have more in-depth conversations about their experiences at work and discuss what we can do to improve. I want to meet with others that want to help in this regard. Please send requests to Brian Weir [Ed: Executive Assistant to the COO], Brian Bjelde [Ed: VP of Human Resources], or our Manager of Diversity and Inclusion Jamin Gallman. We will collect good ideas, achievements and misses on this page. [Ed: Link redacted] It will also highlight organizations and opportunities to support this broader community.
Thank you for all your contributions and personal sacrifices that make SpaceX a tremendous success. Congrats on the historic launch and docking of the still ongoing DM-2 mission. And thank you in advance for your continued support in making SpaceX a place where all people can do excellent work, buoyed by the support and teamwork of their fellow employees.
Let’s keep doing our best work and accelerate our goal of making humanity multi-planetary.
-- g
p.s. A few of you have asked about the button I was wearing during launch. It’s based on a quote by Harriet Tubman that says “Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”
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Her internal memo follows a brief Monday note from SpaceX CEO and founder Elon Musk, which stated: “Your incredible work is now literally part of history! Words cannot express how proud I am of what you have achieved.”
