How Companies are Fighting Against Racial Injustice

The raging debate on racial inequality in the United States is forcing the hand of businesses across the nation. Many focus on their inner workings to develop a more diverse workforce. Others look outward, assessing what can be done to eliminate racial injustice and inequality once and for all.

Ways companies are fighting against social injustice

Many companies made public statements after Black Lives Matter protests condemning racism and donating towards the fight against injustice. Some took steps beyond the donation.

PwC US: PwC US announced a two-year program for some employees to develop policy issues on combating racial injustice and discrimination. The committee's role is to establish a strategy to fight racial inequality.

Comcast: Comcast, in addition to pledging $100 million to fight injustice, promised to accelerate bolstering recruiting strategy, diversity, and inclusion.

Walmart: CEO Dough Mcmillon said Walmart would use $100 million over five years to create a center on racial equity. The work will concentrate on criminal justice, education, health care, and finance.

Compass: Real estate brokerage firm committed to placing black professionals in the teams that directly advise the company to believe that economic inequality is the cause of much civil unrest. Compass also asked its customers to fight racial inequality.

How are social networks controlling racial abuse?

Social networks now provide a way to report abuse, including that leaning on a racial slur.

Nextdoor: Community-based Nextdoor's racial profiling prevention strategies include community guidelines and the ability for users to report racist language.

Snapchat: Users report abuse by completing an online form https://support.snapchat.com/en-US/i-need-help

Facebook: The report links section that appears on a page helps to report bullying or abuse. A dropdown arrow gives an option to report a comment, post, or image. Users also get an opportunity to block or unfriend the person.

Twitter: Twitter facilitates direct reporting to https://support.twitter.com/forms/abusiveuser

You can block the abusive Twitter user or report for spam because it will alert Twitter about the abuse of its service.

Companies condemn new voter laws

The passing of laws that seem to suppress the impact of votes by minority communities is the new front against racial injustice. For example, hundreds of CEOs released a statement condemning an overhaul of Georgia election laws as it can suppress the voting rights of minorities. Some went further to pull out of Georgia for an unspecified period.

Major League Baseball in April 2021 announced it would move the All-Star Game and 2021 MLB draft from Georgia to protest the new SB 202 voting law in the state. Commissioner Rob Manfred said MLB "supports voting rights for all and opposes restrictions to the ballot box." He added that the game has unwavering support for fair access to voting.

A few days after MLB withdrawal, Will Smith and fellow producer Antoine Fuqua made a statement announcing they were withdrawing production of Emancipation film from Georgia. the two said that it was impossible to "provide economic support in good conscience to a government enacting regressive voting laws."

Although the Georgia law has not caused a pullout from the state, many companies have denounced the voting restrictions. Georgia-based Cocacola and Delta are among the companies denouncing the new law. Civil rights leaders and activists had condemned the two for not taking a strong stand against the law.

Other large companies that denounced efforts to disenfranchise minority voter include:

• Microsoft
• Facebook
• Merck
• Porche
• UPS
• Bank of America
• Cisco
• Home Depot
• JPMorgan Chase
• Linkedin
• ViacomCBS

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, who signed the republican-backed law, said executives could have a debate about the bill, and he was glad to deal with "corporate criticism."