With the recent events surrounding the death of George Floyd and other people of color, I have seen several companies issuing statements condemning racism and the aforementioned events.
Just to cite three organizations, Archinect, PwC and even Stack Overflow issued statements in support of movements such as Black Lives Matter:
Archinect excerpt:
We at Archinect are sad and outraged over the acts of violence that have been perpetrated against Black and African American people, both recently and historically.
It must be said: The violent and unjust deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and so many others at the hands of law enforcement and otherwise are a direct expression of the pervasive racial injustice that shapes and contributes to the everyday experiences of so many people in America.
PwC excerpt:
At PwC, we do not tolerate racism, discrimination, or violence of any kind. We prioritise and value the diversity of our people and we’re committed to fostering a culture where everyone feels they belong and has equal access to opportunities. When we see instances of racism or other forms of discrimination, wherever they may be, we all need to speak up and take action.
Stack Overflow excerpt:
We must work together to end systemic racism. We stand in solidarity with our Black employees and with the Black community. Black lives matter. In this post, I am sharing some next steps that Stack Overflow is taking in order to leverage our place as an indispensable tool to the tech community in order to enact positive change.
I am sure that many companies publishing statements such as the ones above have the best of intentions and do want to facilitate change, but there will inevitably be skepticism about the motive of some organizations that put out sympathetic statements, either because of politics or simply just for fear that not doing so may be construed as silent endorsement for racism.
In other words, there will be organizations that will probably only pay lip service to the idea of opposing racial discrimination.
What are telltale signs that one can look for to determine whether an organization is truly standing against systemic racism?
