PEABODY — Eastern Bank executives said the firm owes its 100 percent Corporate Equality Index score in part to employees who made Peabody’s first Pride March a success last year.
More than 70 Eastern employees marched in Pride celebrations around Greater Boston, including Peabody’s inaugural “Peabody Celebrates Pride” march and festivities last June 29.
America’s oldest and largest mutual bank, Eastern for the seventh consecutive year, received a 100 percent score on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2020 Corporate Equality Index (CEI).
In a statement, Eastern called the index the nation’s premier benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality.
“We are long-standing advocates of diversity, equity and inclusion, and are fully engaged, across our workplace, philanthropy and advocacy, with making equal rights and opportunity for all people a reality,” said Bob Rivers, Chair and CEO of Eastern Bank.
Planning for Peabody’s first Pride celebration began when Lisa Geczi, event coordinator for Peabody Main Streets, reached out to the North Shore Alliance of Gay and Lesbian Youth (NAGLY), a Salem nonprofit whose mission is to respect, educate and empower lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youngsters.
Centered on Courthouse Plaza, the Pride Day included a family-friendly festival with face and rock painting; a pop-up pub with music, lawn games, drag queens and impersonators.
The 2019 Pride celebration enjoyed enthusiastic city support and built on national celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York City and local efforts for LGBTQ outreach.
Tony Leone, a 2011 graduate of Peabody Veterans Memorial High School, and NAGLY volunteer said more than five dozen youth, ages 14-23 gather weekly at their offices at the Witch City Mall for two hours to discuss a variety of topics. The groups are divided by age. They come from all over the North Shore, including Lynn, Lynnfield, Peabody, Saugus, Swampscott, Marblehead, and as far away as Springfield and Worcester.
Eastern’s CEI rating was based on criteria in several areas, including non-discrimination policies and workforce protections, employment benefits, organizational competency and accountability around LGBTQ diversity and inclusion, public commitment to LGBTQ equality, and responsible citizenship.
Advocating for and defending LBGTQ rights has long been important to Eastern, the bank said in its statement.
Eastern contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to community partners serving the LGBTQ community. Eastern also helped the Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce to organize the first job fair as part of the Trans Club of New England’s long running First Event conference.
Eastern’s “Equality Under the Blue” employee network was highly visible at community events across New England, including an observance of the Stonewall Uprising and during Pride Month.
For its longstanding commitment to Greater Boston’s LGBT community and stalwart support of the LGBT community, Eastern was honored with the Boston Business Journal’s LGBT Ally Award, and Eastern Chair and CEO Bob Rivers received Greater Boston PFLAG’s Inspired Ally Award.
“We believe everyone’s best contributions happen when we all feel welcome and can bring our whole selves to our work, and we are honored to join the hundreds of other businesses being recognized for their practices around LGBTQ equality,” said Nancy Huntington Stager, Chief Human Resources Officer of Eastern Bank and President and CEO of the Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation. “We are encouraged by the progress that has been made but ever so mindful that in many respects our work has just begun.”
