GLOBAL — Coca-Cola has released a statement entitled “Where We Stand on Social Justice,” based on remarks CEO and Chairman James Quincy shared with company employees during a virtual town hall on June 3.
It begins: “George Floyd. Killed. A senseless tragedy for him and his family. Ahmaud Arbery. Breonna Taylor. Philando Castile. Sandra Bland. Freddie Gray. Michael Brown. Eric Garner. Tamir Rice. Trayvon Martin. All killed. All Black Americans, predominantly male Black Americans. All of whom should be alive today.”
“I, like you, am outraged, sad, frustrated, angry. Companies like ours must speak up as allies to the Black Lives Matter movement. We stand with those seeking justice and equality,” Quincy said.
Quincy said companies must do better, and that speaking out “is our duty.”
“As a nation and as individuals, we must do better. Businesses like ours can play an important role. As a company that believes diversity and inclusion are among our greatest strengths, we must put our resources and energy toward helping end the cycle of systemic racism.”
Among its new initiatives (categorized as Listening, Leading, Investing, and Advocating), Coca-Cola will be investing its resources to “advance social justice causes.”
“For example, today we are announcing $2.5 million in grants from The Coca-Cola Foundation for the Equal Justice Initiative to assist advocates and policymakers in the critically important work of criminal justice reform; the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in support of the ‘Policing Reform Campaign;’ and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights to deliver a platform to bring people together for powerful conversations that matter and inspire social change and their current ‘Campaign for Equal Dignity.’ In addition, we will match employee donations to these initiatives, as well as contributions to the 100 Black Men of America and the National CARES Mentoring Movement. Starting with me.”
Coca-Cola will also begin publicly supporting legislation to advance hate-crimes law in Georgia.
