Hello to my Linked In family,
Today I write to you with a wounded heart to express some of my deepest deceptions about a very big corporation that has always meant so much to me and was a big part of my life. This company is the biggest Technology company in world, every year banking Billions and Billions of dollars, thriving through this pandemic. They are probably one of the only big corporations in this world whose quarter went up during a worldwide pandemic instead of down.
Don’t get me wrong, this is a company who’s also done incredible things for the community and stood up for the things that they believed in. It’s a company that is always innovating, pushing boundaries of creativity and deeply caring about their employees and customers. The leadership didn’t hesitate for one day (literally) to help out during this devastating pandemic, strategizing through change and going above and beyond for others.
What I’m not grasping is a company so big, with thousands and thousands of black employees, mostly at the bottom of the food chain of course (according to statistics) serving mostly in their retail level stores and warehouses, isn’t standing up for what they believe in now?... This company considers itself a leader in the industry, whatever they do, the world follows. So why stay so silent now? Why pick and choose what you want to believe is right? Is the police brutality right? I’m so very confused…
These black employees that have given their time, love and the best work of their lives to you, and they could get killed on their way to work because of the color of their skin. Will you stand up and speak up then? Being a huge minority in this company, we know we don’t have the voices it takes to be heard, nor the privilege to be given the platform to do so, which is why we rely on you, to truly « stand up for what you believe in ». This company prone to value diversity and inclusion: what makes us different is what unites us. Well…. Time to walk the talk. Know that your black community is hurting, is wounded and aching at the thought that you are remaining silent through all this.
The modern-day slavery, violence and systemic racism that people of color have to endure daily are carried among all of us, all the time, which becomes heavier and heavier as the days go by. I’m writing this is tears, with a feeling of powerlessness and deep sorrow. I have a black father, mother, brother, sister, aunt, professors, uncles, cousins, friends,… the list goes on, and I cannot find a wink of sleep worrying about whether another one will be killed at the hands of a racist, abusive of power police officer. This torments my mental, physical, emotional, spiritual and social health and I literally cannot breathe.
If you care about all lives, about humanity, about these black lives that are literally being treated as if they were worthless, this is the time to say so or forever hold your peace. At my branch, we don’t even celebrate black history… I hope you can feel and see my pain Tim Cook.
Kindest of regards,
An Exhausted Back Apple Retail Employee.
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