Apple CEO Tim Cook has responded to the ‘senseless killing’ of George Floyd by writing a memo to all staff. In it, he argues that while the coronavirus crisis has created a strong desire for a return to normalcy, we should instead ‘aim far higher.’
The memo begins by acknowledging the strength of feelings that have given rise to widespread protests across the US, and the inequalities which remain …
In the memo obtained by Bloomberg, Cook describes Apple’s response.
That painful past is still present today — not only in the form of violence, but in the everyday experience of deeply rooted discrimination. We see it in our criminal justice system, in the disproportionate toll of disease on Black and Brown communities, in the inequalities in neighborhood services and the educations our children receive. While our laws have changed, the reality is that their protections are still not universally applied.
He quotes Martin Luther King in calling for seeking to do better than return to the status quo.
Today, Apple is making donations to a number of groups, including the Equal Justice Initiative, a non-profit committed to challenging racial injustice, ending mass incarceration, and protecting the human rights of the most vulnerable people in American society. For the month of June, and in honor of the Juneteenth holiday, we’ll also be matching two-for-one all employee donations via Benevity.
Floyd died after then Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, including almost three minutes after Floyd became unresponsive. This occurred while Floyd was unarmed and handcuffed.
In the words of Martin Luther King, “Every society has its protectors of status quo and its fraternities of the indifferent who are notorious for sleeping through revolutions. Today, our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake, to adjust to new ideas, to remain vigilant and to face the challenge of change.”
With every breath we take, we must commit to being that change, and to creating a better, more just world for everyone.
Chauvin, who was dismissed from the police following the incident, has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. CNN reports that the specific charges reflect a belief by prosecutors that the former officer did not intend to kill, but knowingly committed an act which carried a significant risk to life.
