Dear RULErs,
Do you feel that? There's change in the air. This morning during my family's weekly devotional that we've been doing every Sunday during quarantine, my brother and I were sharing our experiences at the Black Lives Matter protests this weekend in Dallas and D.C., respectively. I asked my dad (who is 82 years old) if these protests are anything like the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, and I was surprised when he said that our current demonstrations are unlike anything he's seen before. But it makes sense.
Since its inception in 2013, the Black Lives Matter movement has never received such widespread support as it has in the last two weeks since the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer and White nationalist Derek Chauvin. In just 13 days, protests have taken place in
500 cities and towns in all 50 states in the U.S., and
across 40 countries globally including Germany, Nigeria, France, Brazil, Japan, Canada, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, Kenya, Spain, Israel, South Korea, and the United Kingdom.
Even more remarkably, today the
Minneapolis City Council voted in a super majority to
disband the city's police department, and Republican Senator
Mitt Romney was seen
marching with Black Lives Matter protestors today in D.C.
But what I have been most interested in is the outpouring of support for Black Lives Matter and racial justice from major corporations recently. Last Sunday,
Sherrell Dorsey at
The Plug published a
groundbreaking report on the number of tech companies who have released statements in support of BLM. There are currently more than 200 major corporations who have been vocal on everything from their support for the movement to their appreciation for their Black employees. (View the full list of companies
here and support The Plug's fantastic reporting on the Black tech ecosystem
here).
The Black Lives Matter statements that we're seeing from corporations now remind me a lot of the Pride Month statements that we've become accustomed to seeing from companies each June over the past few years. It can be argued that the business community's decision to embrace LGBTQ rights has resulted in real policy change. In 2016, Georgia's governor was
forced to veto an anti-gay bill after major companies including Disney, Apple, Time Warner, the NFL, and the NCAA indicated that they would desert the state if the bill became law. But on the other hand, there's an
interesting argument that the corporatization of Pride has resulted in the dilution of the queer movement.
It will be interesting to see what role big businesses will play moving forward in the Black Lives Matter movement. Will we see corporate-sponsored Black Lives Matter protests and Juneteenth parades? Can we expect major corporations to leverage their influence against racist governmental policies? Will the potential corporatization of BLM result in the dilution of the core message of the movement?
Only time will tell, but given the unprecedented nature of the last two weeks, (including money moves like
this and
this) who knows what the future will hold.
In the meantime, read on for
three black business owners who won the week, a
roundup of business news, and shoutouts to
June RULEr birthdays (including day-one RULEr
Majidah Muhammad who is celebrating her birthday today!)
Take care of yourself and each other,
Travers
