FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 23, 2021
CONTACT: media@colorofchange.org
#BeyondTheStatement: Color Of Change Holds Corporations Accountable to Racial Justice Promises
Leading racial justice organization launches microsite outlining new demands of corporations that made racial justice statements
NATIONWIDE — A year after the racial justice protests in response to the murder of George Floyd sparked a wave of corporate statements of solidarity with the movement for racial justice, 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. The 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.
“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,” said Arisha Hatch, Color Of Change vice president and chief of campaigns. “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.”
Color Of Change will apply its vast expertise and leadership in corporate accountability to mobilize its member base to drive campaign demands under three initial areas of focus: job demands in majority-Black cities, racial justice in financial services, and a new racial equity framework for Big Tech companies such as Google, which have failed to address racial inequities that plague their company and their products — from discriminatory practices within the organization itself, to the algorithmic biases that continue to permeate the platform.
- 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, 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 more humane and less hostile world for Black people. In April, Color Of Change demanded 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 like 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 effective corporate accountability. Last month, Color Of Change successfully pressured NBC Universal to drop the Golden Globes. 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 the U.S. Olympic hammer thrower Gwen Berry, after corporate sponsors like Nike withdrew their financial support following Berry’s protest against racial injustice on the medal stand at the Pan American Games. The organization also negotiated a sponsorship for Gwen with both Airbnb and PUMA, and also successfully helped pressure the U.S. 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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About Color Of Change:
Color Of Change is the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. We help people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force driven by over 7 million members, we move decision-makers in corporations and government to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America. Visit www.colorofchange.org.