One year after the murder of George Floyd sparked worldwide racial justice
protests and a corresponding wave of corporate statements of support for racial
justice and equity (some much more substantive than
others),
Color of Change — the nation’s largest online
racial justice organization — today launched a series of new demands aimed at
holding companies across various industries accountable for upholding systemic
racism in their policies and practices.
The demands are outlined on a new microsite,
also released today as part of Color of Change’s ongoing
#BeyondTheStatement campaign. Unfortunately, since their mass response last
year in support of Black Lives Matter, the majority of corporations that
committed to change have shown that they are more committed to performative
allyship than transformational reform. The new microsite is a resource for
advocates that acts as an up-to-date catalogue of corporations’ racial justice
commitments, as well as the policies they continue to enact that pose a threat
to Black
employees,
consumers and community
stakeholders.
Arisha Hatch, Color of Change VP and chief of campaigns, says:
“For years, Color of Change and our members have demanded that corporations
prioritize the safety, equity and wellbeing of Black workers and communities. As
racial injustice became a national focal point last year, countless corporations
scrambled to make public statements committing to racial justice initiatives —
but since then, they have not only failed to take action, but they’ve continued
to perpetuate harm. We refuse to stand by while these corporations profit off
the promise of progress when they have no real intention of supporting Black
customers or communities.”
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Color of Change will apply its vast expertise and leadership in corporate
accountability to mobilize its member base to drive substantive action from
“committed” companies under three initial areas of focus:
-
Jobs for Black workers: As part of its jobs programs demands, Color of
Change is pressuring major corporations headquartered in predominantly Black
cities to pilot apprenticeship programs and other learning and job training
opportunities;
provide unemployed Black residents with jobs; and earmark a percentage of
all job hires for formerly incarcerated
individuals.
-
‘Beyond the Statement: Tech’ Framework: Color of Change
released
its ‘Beyond The Statement: Tech’
Framework,
outlining a list of concrete actions technology firms must take — such as
conducting a racial equity audit — to be in alignment with their stated
values and ensure a true culture of inclusion for BIPOC
workers.
In April, the organization demanded that
Google
undergo a racial equity audit following years of racial injustice and
systemic discrimination. After it declared support to Black people and a
$100 million financial pledge to Black
creators,
Google blocked
companies
from using terms including “Black lives matter” in their advertisements. The
tech giant also ignored internal complaints related to the mistreatment of
Black employees and fired engineers and product developers, including the
former co-head of Google’s Ethical Artificial Intelligence team, Dr. Timnit
Gebru.
-
Financial services and racial justice: Color of Change is demanding the
financial sector take concrete
action
to confront and end the racial injustices they have perpetuated for
decades.
The demands include a call for banks to eliminate overdraft fees that
disproportionately target Black consumers; for credit-monitoring companies
including Equifax, Experian and TransUnion to implement COVID
credit protections via a public registry credit program that reduces racial
disparities; for private equity firms to stop their ‘legalized looting’
practices; and for financial institutions including Bank of America,
Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and State Street
to conduct an independent audit of their internal racial equity practices.
Color of Change has a long track record of enforcing corporate accountability.
Last month, the nonprofit successfully
pressured
NBC Universal to drop the Golden
Globes broadcast due to an
ongoing lack of diversity within the Hollywood Foreign Press Association,
which produces the awards. The organization also recently pushed Levi
Strauss to commit to prioritizing rehiring as well as clawing back the $32
million
it paid out to shareholders after laying off nearly 4,000 employees the same
week.
Further, Color of Change announced its first-ever athletic sponsorship — of US
Olympic hammer thrower Gwen Berry, after corporate sponsors including Nike
withdrew their financial support following Berry's
protest
against racial injustice on the medal stand at the Pan American Games last
fall. The organization also negotiated sponsorships for Berry with both
Airbnb and
PUMA,
and also successfully helped pressure the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee to
abandon policies that authorize punishments against
athletes
who raise their fists or kneel on the medals stand.
In the coming months, Color of Change will launch additional demands as part of
its ongoing #BeyondTheStatement campaign. Visit the
website for more information and updates.
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Sustainable Brands Staff
Published Jun 23, 2021 2pm EDT / 11am PDT / 7pm BST / 8pm CEST