The murder of George Floyd was the result of inhumane police brutality that is perpetuated by a culture of white supremacy. What happened to George Floyd was not the result of a bad apple; it was the predictable consequence of a racist and prejudiced system and culture that has treated Black bodies as the enemy from the beginning. What happened to George Floyd in Minneapolis is the fruit borne of toxic seeds planted on the shores of our country in Jamestown in 1619, when the first enslaved men and women arrived on this continent. Floyd is the latest in a long list of names that stretches back to that time and that shore. Some of those names we know — Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Oscar Grant, Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Emmett Till, Martin Luther King, Jr. — most we don’t.
While it’s critical that companies, brands, and celebrities are seeing the importance in publicly affirming their stance against racism, much more needs to be done than issuing a statement to change the material conditions for Black people. Corporations routinely jump from diversity and inclusion messaging to underpaying Black workers, discriminating against Black customers, and harming Black users and community members. Corporations must interrogate their policies and practices and move beyond words to action.
Thirteen major corporations suspended donations to the 147 Members of Congress who directly incited the insurrection by voting to overturn the results of the election.