For Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, We’re Supporting Our Community and Celebrating Our Stories

Employee Resource Groups, or ERGs, are an important part of life at Zoom. Under the umbrella of our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) team, they help foster a sense of community and allyship, creating opportunities for all Zoomies to connect, share ideas, and support each other.

One of the hallmarks of ERGs at Zoom is that they are employee driven. They’re created and led by Zoom employees, who volunteer their time and efforts toward promoting our DEI strategy and sharing new perspectives with our global team.

Here’s the story of how our newest ERG at Zoom, Pacific Islander and Asian Cultures Together (PACT), came to be — and how Zoom PACT, Zoom Cares, and our DEI team are celebrating Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May. Along with educational sessions held throughout the month, we’re excited to announce a $5 million commitment over the next five years to the The Asian American Foundation, including funding support for nonprofit organizations — more details on that below. 

Employees at Zoom formed Zoom PACT amid rising incidents of hate and violence against Asians and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. The attacks left many in our own community looking to share their most vulnerable experiences with discrimination and breaking “model minority” stereotypes in and out of the workplace, as well as raise broader awareness of longstanding anti-Asian sentiment. We recognized the need for employees to vocalize their personal stories so they can grow and bring their best, most authentic selves to work.

Zoom PACT joins our five other established ERGs focused on our Black, Latinx, LGBTQ+, women, and veterans communities. By creating a space to amplify the voices and experiences of Asian and Pacific Islander employees, we hope to cultivate a culture of learning, understanding, and advocacy.

Hear from a few of our founding members on what Zoom PACT means to them:

The launch of Zoom PACT came at a perfect time to celebrate Asian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May. Our DEI team brought a number of insightful sessions to Zoomies around the globe.

In partnership with The Steve Fund, we welcomed Hendry Ton, MD, associate vice chancellor of Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at UC Davis Health, to talk about the effects of discrimination and racism on mental health. Dr. Ton offered guidance for prioritizing our well-being in turbulent times.

Our nonprofit partners at Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Asian Law Caucus and Hollaback! led bystander intervention sessions to help people recognize and safely intervene against different types of anti-Asian discrimination in both the workplace and in the community. 

Our Chief Diversity Officer, Damien Hooper-Campbell, hosted a fireside chat with Amanda Nguyen, founder and CEO of Rise, whose viral social media video catalyzed a movement to rise up against Asian hate. Nguyen shared her journey to becoming a civil rights activist and talked about her own experience creating change through legislation and social advocacy.

Thank you to our amazing guest speakers and Zoomies for taking part in these discussions!

We’re amplifying our internal conversations with broader support of Asian and Pacific Islander communities globally, led by our Zoom Cares social impact team. 

Building off our grant funding and support for the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum, Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Asian Law Caucus, and Asian Americans for Community Involvement earlier in the year, we’re forging new partnerships and finding new opportunities to help address both longstanding and timely issues within Asian and Pacific Islander communities. 

We've made a five-year, $5 million commitment to The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) to fund programs and provide product donations across three areas: anti-hate, data and research, and education. We’re proud to join other business and philanthropy leaders in a $1.1 billion effort in solidarity against discrimination and stand firmly behind TAAF’s commitment to ensuring Asian American and Pacific Islander stories are celebrated as part of American history.

We’re also acutely focused on doing what we can to help those affected by the devastating second wave of COVID-19 in India. Employees across the globe banded together on our largest internal fundraising effort to date in support of SEWA International, which is providing critical supplies and medical equipment on the ground in India. We also supported the U.S.-India Friendship Alliance with grant funding to secure oxygen concentrators, medical kits, and other necessities. Zoom Cares is leading the charge to donate our product for education, training, and essential communications during this time.

As part of our family of ERGs, Zoom PACT will continue to lead conversations that celebrate the diverse cultures and experiences of our Asian and Pacific Islander communities and foster understanding and advocacy in the workplace. 

We’re excited to see what’s next and to continue celebrating all the diversity that Zoom has to offer — including Pride Month on the horizon in June!