Skip to Content

Color Of Change Marks One-Year Anniversary of ‘Stop Hate For Profit’ Campaign

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 17, 2021

Contact: media@colorofchange.org

Color Of Change Marks One-Year Anniversary of ‘Stop Hate For Profit’ Campaign 

NATIONWIDE — On the one-year anniversary of the launch of the Stop Hate For Profit campaign, in which Color Of Change and allies called on corporations to boycott advertising on Facebook, Color Of Change Senior Campaign Director Jade Magnus Ogunnaike released the following statement:

“One year after Color Of Change and the Stop Hate For Profit coalition challenged corporations to pause Facebook ads, it remains evident that Facebook will continue to prioritize their bottom line over the wellbeing of Black users and community stakeholders, even when faced with the unprecedented move of 1,200 business partners withdrawing tens of millions of dollars in advertising, which led to a temporary plummet of the company’s stock.

During the ad halt, we warned that Facebook failed to take the meaningful action necessary to prepare for its most critical test: the 2020 elections. Facebook failed this test allowing misinformation to run rampant throughout the election. And six months later, Trump and other right-wing extremist groups utilized the platform to spread misinformation and organize #StopTheSteal rallies, armed insurrectionists stormed our nation’s capital and the fate of our democracy hung in the balance.

And while we successfully pushed Facebook to concede to our demands for the creation of a senior role to oversee civil rights and a dedicated team to study algorithmic racial bias, they have yet to respond to and enact the full set of recommendations from the civil rights audit that Laura Murphy completed for their company in July of last year. Rather than adopt these proposals, Facebook created an illegitimate “Oversight Board” under the guise of independence to distract from their unwillingness to adequately self-regulate and address policy and product failures. Leveraging its self-appointed board, Facebook side-stepped decisive action to permanently ban Trump and instead has opened the door for his return ahead of the 2024 presidential election season. The company is on course to repeat its failures, imperiling Black lives and democracy once again.

If Facebook continues to prioritize profit at any cost, it will continue to embolden and amplify white nationalists who use the platform to stoke hate, fuel dangerous misinformation and incite real-world violence against Black people and our allies. In addition to publicly responding to last year’s civil rights audit and enacting its crucial recommendations, Facebook must adopt our new #BeyondTheStatement Tech Framework to begin undoing the policies, practices and products that continue to manufacture race-based discrimination and inequity. The Biden-Harris administration and Congress must also create and enforce new rules to reign in the outsize power of the social media platform by passing algorithmic accountability legislation such as The Algorithmic Justice and Online Platform Transparency Act to hold Facebook accountable for its role in harming Black communities and our democracy.”

###

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

 

Back to top

Make A Gift To Fuel The Fight For Justice!

Donate