A Message From the Edison International Managing Committee
We stand with our Asian Pacific Islander colleagues.
The Edison International Managing Committee sent this note to our teams across Edison International, Southern California Edison and Edison Energy today. We stand with the Asian Pacific Islander community and will not waver in living our values now and always.
Edison Team,
We cannot reach our full potential as a society without respecting and understanding the diversity in our communities. Our company values provide a foundation to honor diversity, equity and inclusion.
Sadly, we are not seeing those values demonstrated in parts of our communities and across the nation. Tragic events that affected Black colleagues and community members last year reminded the nation that racial injustice continues and prompted a national discussion on how we must do better. Since then, there has been a disturbing increase in anti-Asian violence following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and we should be no less concerned about it as a society.
We stand together with our Asian Pacific Islander colleagues as a company and as individuals against all forms of hate, intolerance and discrimination.
A report by Stop AAPI Hate, a national initiative that has tracked anti-Asian hate and discrimination in the U.S. during the pandemic, documented 2,808 firsthand accounts of anti-Asian hate from March through December 2020. Although California accounts for only one-third of the country’s total Asian Pacific Islander population, 44% of the documented incidents (1,226) occurred in our state. Alarmingly, 126 accounts involved Asian Americans over 60 years old.
Awareness must be backed by action. While we recognize that money itself doesn’t solve problems, it does help fund organizations that are tracking and addressing the crisis.
Edison International is providing more than $100,000 this year to nonprofit organizations with a specific focus on anti-Asian racism and discrimination. In addition, we proudly support SCE’s Asian Pacific Islander Business Resource Group, ASCEND, which provided some suggested resources and a link to report an incident outside of work or to act against anti-Asian racism or hate crimes: stopaapihate.org- Opens in new window. Here are some outside resources ASCEND suggested:
- The University of Illinois has strategies and tips for coping with racism-related stress.
- Medium.com published an article entitled Surviving Racism Amidst Covid-19.
- Racial Equity Tools created a page with racial equity and social justice resources.
- The Huffington Post published Self-Care Tips for Asian Americans Dealing with Racism amid Coronavirus.
Finally, our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) helpline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can find information about it on Portal.
You have our commitment to stand with you against those who would try to hurt and divide us. Let’s continue to look out for one another and please be safe.
Pedro J. Pizarro, Edison International President and CEO
Kevin M. Payne, SCE President and CEO
Adam S. Umanoff, Edison International Executive Vice President and General Counsel
Caroline Choi, Edison International and SCE Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs
Drew Murphy, Edison International Senior Vice President, Strategy and Corporate Development
Jacqueline Trapp, Edison International and SCE Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer
Maria Rigatti, Edison International Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Steven D. Powell, SCE Executive Vice President, Operation