On March 17, leadership across 3M, including Senior Vice President of Human Resources Kristen Ludgate, Chief Equity Officer James Momon and Chief Diversity Officer Ann Anaya, hosted a listening session with 3M’s Asians and Asian-Americans Coming Together for Innovation and Opportunity Network (A3CTION) to listen and better understand the lived experiences of our employees in the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.
“We felt it was important to create a safe space for our A3CTION community to come and share their experiences and for them to know that our community stands united in support and solidarity,” said Liu Qiao, this year’s chair of A3CTION.
To kick off the discussion, Executive Vice President of Transportation & Electronics Business Group and A3CTION Executive Sponsor Ashish Khandpur shared his personal thoughts and reflections, then opened up the discussion to A3CTION members, who were brave in sharing their feelings of sadness, concern, anger, fear, frustration and betrayal. Personal stories about the fear of leaving the house and constant concern for their safety and that of their loved ones also punctuated the severity of the current environment.
Senior Vice President of Strategy & Business Development Veena Lakkundi offered closing remarks, expressing thanks to everyone who spoke up to share their personal experiences and speaking to the importance of showing up with compassion to support each other and our communities.
CEO Mike Roman said about the listening session and recent events: “We stand with our A3CTION community and condemn the hate and intimidation against the Asian-American community. Yesterday our leaders had the opportunity to hear many painful experiences, develop greater empathy and understanding, and vowed to take more meaningful action. I ask each 3Mer to take the time to learn more about what they can do to ally for our Asian community as we continue our efforts to create an inclusive culture for all 3M employees.”
Resources for support
Report a hate-related incident:
Resources for allyship and engagement
- Learn more about how to be an ally to the AAPI community .
- Attend the Asian Minnesotan Alliance for Justice ’s public community event Unheard Stories: Asian Americans Experiencing Hate .
- Learn how to safely stand up when you see instances of discrimination by reviewing resources from Hollaback Bystander Intervention .
- Learn about and participate in the #stopasianhate movement.
