SAS is committed to fostering an inclusive culture and work environment where everyone can thrive, be their authentic self, and achieve their full innovative potential. We encourage and support our employees to use their voices to drive change for more equitable outcomes for traditionally marginalized groups. This work is deeply important to us and something we focus on all year long. However, every February we shine a special light on the Black experience by celebrating Black History Month – a time to recognize and reflect on the history, achievements and impact of Black culture and heritage as well as amplifying voices from our Black community. The month of February may be over, but we're excited to keep the conversation surrounding Black History Month going! One of the ways we do this is through BIG – one of our seven Employee Inclusion Groups.

The Black Initiatives Group (BIG), is dedicated to empowering Black employees to bring their full selves to work, to highlight their talents and contributions and to inspire young Black talent to pursue careers in STEM. Whether it’s improving representation through hiring, fostering belonging, outreach in the community, promoting career development, or hosting SAS’ most popular weekly meeting to engage in meaningful conservations about race from the Black perspective, BIG has been instrumental in connecting a community of people who support each other and who are making real change inside and outside of SAS.

Here, some of our BIG members use their voice to amplify the importance of conversations about Black history and perseverance, resilience, and what it means to them.