[WN] Apple CEO Tim Cook takes a stand against police racism and brutality

As Tim Cook kicked off the Worldwide Developer Conference 2020, pledges to be ‘a force for change’ as he vocalizes support for Black Lives Matter

As Tim Cook kicked off the Worldwide Developer Conference 2020, pledges to be ‘a force for change’ as he vocalizes support for Black Lives Matter

As the June 22 Worldwide Developer Conference 2020 takes on a virtual format, it is clear the keynote comes in a pretaped format. 

That said, as the event kicks off (from Apple Park, in a sense), CEO Tim Cook takes a somber moment to address the politically volatile situation in the United States, owing to the prevalent racism and subsequent racial profiling “especially in our Black and Brown communities after the senseless killing of George Floyd” and the subsequent Black Lives Matter protests which have been ongoing for about than a month.

Cook said the events of the past month caused have caused everyone to “face longstanding institutional inequalities and social injustices.” Apple has joined a number of tech companies Reddit, Amazon, Microsoft, Google, in making moves to racial equity in the wake of the killing of Floyd. 

Whether this is in the verticals of company leadership (as shown by Reddit’s Alexis Ohanian giving his board seat to Michael Seibel) or even through the funding of smaller companies, as Apple has openly committed to boost spending with black-owned partner companies as well as to improve representation within its supply chain.

More moves

Earlier this month, Apple announced a US$100 million commitment to new racial equity and justice initiative, which will be led by Lisa Jackson, the company’s Vice President of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives. 

Jackson confirmed the appointment in a tweet, “Fighting for equality and justice for my community has driven my career as an environmentalist. I’ll continue the work leading Apple’s Racial Equity and Justice Initiative.”

At Apple, Cook said, “Our mission has always been to make the world a better place, and we’re committed to being a force for change.” He adds, concludes “[The United States of America] was founded on the principles of freedom and equality for all. For too many people, and for too long, we haven’t lived up to those ideas. This means taking action.”