WASHINGTON -- FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell hosted an event this morning in partnership with the agency’s LGBTQI+ employee resource group to kick off June’s Pride Month and issued the following statement:
“I was honored to stand alongside FEMA’s LGBTQI+ employees and allies to unveil an inclusive rainbow flag at FEMA’s headquarters in celebration of Pride Month. During the month of June, the flag will have prominent position in FEMA’s National Response Coordination Center, a first for the agency.
"Celebrating FEMA’s diverse workforce helps us advance the agency’s core values of compassion, fairness, integrity and respect. We take these values very seriously because it ensures we embrace the humanity, dignity and worth of those we serve before, during and after a disaster.
"Today is also the first day of the Atlantic hurricane season, so we are reminded that embracing diversity, inclusion, and equity makes our agency stronger and better prepared to serve. Ensuring the FEMA workforce is seen and heard builds a culture of compassion and empathy, thus helping us achieve the important work we do in communities across the nation.”
