Salesforce hosted our third annual Equality Awards on May 14 at the historic Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington DC — the only major museum in the world solely dedicated to women through the arts.  Every year we gather to celebrate and acknowledge equality advocates and leaders who work tirelessly to create a more equal world for all.

Our Equality Awards honorees included Pharrell Williams, multi-Grammy award-winning producer and artist, Reshma Saujani, author and CEO of Girls Who Code, Sal Carrera, Associate DAS Analyst, Deloitte and Melissa Hansen, Kieren Jameson, Angela Mahoney of Radical Apex Developers Women (RAD Women Leadership for short).

Collage featuring highlights from the Salesforce’s Equality Awards.

“At Salesforce, we believe in the equal value of every human life and that it is our responsibility as business leaders to make the world a more equal place. It is that spirit that brings us here this evening to honor those who have used their platforms to create a more equal world for all,” said Tony Prophet, Chief Equality Officer at Salesforce in his opening remarks.

Tony Prophet, Salesforce’s Chief Equality Officer, giving his opening remarks at the ceremony.

Our Equality Awards are a time for us to pause and reflect on the impact that these Equality trailblazers have had on their communities and our world. We honor the pushback they face, the roadblocks they overcome and the new frontiers they build for us all. Awards to us also don’t mean these Equality leaders and change-makers have hit their “goal” by any means, or that the work is “done.”  We also recognize that there’s still more work to be done on the path to Equality and can all do our part to build a better world.

As Sal Carrera, Associate DAS Analyst at Deloitte and Salesforce Equality Award honoree said: “It is up to us as individuals and organizations and champions of progress to persevere.”

In 2017, Salesforce and Deloitte partnered and launched a workforce development initiative called Pathfinder. It is designed to train individuals from diverse backgrounds, regardless of their background, demographics, or socioeconomic status, so they can access the skills and support needed to pursue careers in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Carrera is one of the first participants of the Pathfinder program and we are proud to honor him for the work he has done.

Here’s a look at our Equality Awards and photos. You can also watch our interviews Live from the Blue Carpet below:

Salesforce Equality Award honorees (from left-right) Melissa Hansen, Angela Mahoney and Kieren Jameson of RAD Women. Their mission is to close the gender gap for developers by empowering women Salesforce administrators to build on their existing skills and become leading programmers. To date, over 350 learners have graduated from their courses and have been able to advance their developer careers.

From left-right: Niki Christoff, SVP, Strategy, and Government Relations at Salesforce and co-host Marissa Kraines, Director, Social and Content Marketing, Strategic Events at Salesforce on the Blue Carpet.

Equality Awards co-host Alexandra Legend Siegel, Senior Manager, Equality Content and Narrative at Salesforce and Rakia Finley, Co-Founder, Fin Digital and Salesforce MVP.

Musical artist LT Smooth opened the Equality Awards ceremony with his beautiful tunes.

Tony Prophet, Chief Equality Officer at Salesforce awarding RAD Women (from left to right) Kieren Jameson, Angela Mahoney, and Melissa Hansen.

Julie Miller, Deloitte Consulting LLP Principal presenting the award to Sal Carrera, Associate DAS Analyst at Deloitte and Salesforce Equality Award honoree.

Alexandra Legend Siegel and PepUp Tech cofounder Rebe de la Paz on the blue carpet. PepUp Tech is a nonprofit organization bringing computer science and technology programs to underserved communities.

Molly Q. Ford, Senior Director of Global Equality Programs at Salesforce and Deloitte business partners.

Attendees enjoying the Salesforce Equality Awards reception.

Group shot of Salesforce Equality Awards attendees.

Watch the “Live from the Blue Carpet” video:

At Salesforce, we believe that businesses are powerful platforms for social change. Join us on this path toward creating a world where everyone has equal rights, equal pay for equal work, equal access to education, and equal opportunities to succeed. Learn more at Salesforce.com/Equality.