OUR
HISTORY
Regional caucus groups of Black employees at Xerox were established as early as 1965. It became clear that our strength is in our numbers, so the concept of the national organization (known today as the National Black Employees Association) was born in 1974 as the brainchild of a series of meetings with each regional group. The purpose of these meetings, called the “Road Show”, was to unite and send a clear message to Xerox Corporate as to the intent and determination of Xerox Black employees to stand up for their presence and preservation within Xerox Corporation.
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Today, we recognize Our Founding Fathers, the seven gentlemen who traveled the country to unite African American employees during the Road Show: Kent Amos, Kerney Laday, Art Crawford, Bill Hamilton, A. Barry Rand, Gene Ruffin, and Bill Sykes.
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Xerox: Strength in diversity
We also recognize the rich history of the regional caucus groups that collectively comprise our national team:
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Metropolitan Area Minority Employees (MAME), established in 1965 in the Eastern region to help ensure equal employment access and representation for Blacks and other minorities by communicating opportunities for upward mobility and promoting the total development of members.
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Rochester Black Employees Association (RBEA), previously known as Concerned Association of Rochester, Incorporated or CARI. Formed in 1968 to help promote minority hiring and development, improve the quality of life in Rochester, and support upward mobility of minority employees.
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Bay Area Black Employees of Xerox (BABE), formed in 1969 to support the hiring, development, and promotion of qualified minority applicants and to serve as a catalyst for the acknowledgement of the contributions of Black employees to the success of Xerox Corporation.
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Midwest Concerned Black Employees, formed in Chicago in 1969 to strengthen Blacks through unity and to support qualified Blacks striving for promotions to management.
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Corporate Few (formed in Washington, DC / Mid-Atlantic, expanded to Philadelphia and beyond). Formed in 1971 in response to the realization that the few local Black employees in Sales were the strongest support system they had. Focused on self-help and group unity.
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Los Angeles Black Employees of Xerox (LABE), formed in 1972 as the mechanism to fully engage minorities with Xerox Corporate and to serve as a catalyst for providing hiring, promotion, and career development opportunities for Black people and other minorities within Xerox.
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Minorities in the Southern Region (MUSR), formed in 1974 in Atlanta and Dallas as a vehicle to improve minority representation in management, development, hiring, and promotions throughout the Southern Region.
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Black Employees at Leesburg Training Center (BELT), formed in 1978 to provide a vehicle to help ensure equal employment rights in the workplace.
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El Segundo Black Employee Group,* formed in 1983 to promote minority inclusion in the Corporate decision-making infrastructure, support communication with Xerox management regarding hiring and promotion opportunities, and focus on networking, self-development, and community involvement. * Due to numerous structural changes within Xerox, this group is no longer active. Xerox employees in the El Segundo should contact the Los Angeles Black Employees (LABE) for engagement opportunities.