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This year we mark the 50th anniversary of the first IBM equal opportunity policy letter. Written in 1953 by then IBM President, Tom Watson, Jr., and former chairman, the letter is both a historical treasure of our company and a timeless statement of what this company stands for at its core.
The principles of fairness and equal opportunity enshrined in the letter remain the foundation of IBM's diversity policies today. More important, our equal opportunity policy is a testament to IBM's long tradition of holding itself and its employees to a higher standard. We implemented this policy one year before the U.S. Supreme Court ended "separate but equal" policies in public education, and 11 years before Congress passed the 1964 Civil Rights Act. That kind of leadership didn't just happen. It sprang from our shared beliefs and values, and from the efforts of our visionary founders to infuse every aspect of our business conduct with the deeply held convictions of IBMers.
Diversity policies lie as close to IBM's core as they have throughout our heritage. Today, we're building a workforce in keeping with the global, diverse marketplace, to better serve our customers and capture a greater share of the on demand opportunity.
The lesson to draw from 50 years of leadership in diversity issues: we must stay true to our shared values. The marketplace demands it, and it's what we believe -- and have always believed -- is the right thing to do.
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