Momentum

Last week, the big news was protests and riots. Things seem to have calmed down a bit this week, but the long-overdue, national conversation about racism is gaining new momentum – which is a good thing. Every time I turn on the TV, I’m seeing more thought leaders talking about the issue, which is an important first step towards encouraging real change.

Perhaps most emblematic, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell basically reversed his position this week on “peaceful protest” during league games – a clear reference to Colin Kaepernick and “taking a knee,” although Goodell didn’t name him. While he didn’t say the NFL was wrong about how it dealt with Kaepernick, he did say the NFL respects and encourages peaceful protests within the league, which everyone is interpreting as a mea culpa. Maybe this is a step in the right direction.

Businesses across the country are focusing on how to make changes that can help reverse racial bias and advance equal opportunity in a meaningful way. Stay tuned for new thought leadership from Marcum’s Diversity & Inclusion Task Force. This is a very important issue for me and for our team, and we will be sharing a lot more about our initiatives in the future.

Meanwhile, in the midst of all this, the country is starting to open back up again, with all 50 states in some stage of reopening. Everyone wants to get back to normal (whatever that will be) quickly – and I’m among them – but hopefully the public will realize from the early uptick in new cases and hospitalizations that we need to continue wearing masks and using other PPE in crowded situations. It’s going to take continuing effort on all of our parts to make sure we can keep our cities and states open for business.

Many of our U.S. offices are now reopened, with associates reporting on varying schedules to keep the density of people in our workspaces to an appropriate level.

The health and safety of our team and our clients is our top priority, and I’m keeping a close eye on how we’re doing on that front as we reopen. There are many unknowns in this situation, and, like many firms, we’re staying flexible as circumstances require.

The medical community is predicting a possible second wave of the coronavirus in the fall. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, and we can get to the conclusion of Round 1 with ourselves, our families and our businesses intact.

For now, we’re continuing to learn from our day-to-day experiences. If COVID-19 resurfaces later in the year, we’ll all be better prepared for how to deal with it.

In the meantime, the weather is gorgeous. It’s a great time to get to the beach, golf course, park or whatever your pleasure is and enjoy the outdoors from six feet apart. Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

Stay safe, stay healthy and remember we are all in this together.