Amazon Is No Ally in the Fight for Racial Justice
During yesterday's protests against the police murder of George Floyd, Amazon declared that it "stand[s] in solidarity with the Black community — our employees, customers, and partners — in the fight against systemic racism and injustice." But the company is no racial justice ally — not least because it has resolutely attempted to smash its workers' organizing efforts.
Workers pack and ship customer orders at the Amazon fulfillment center on August 1, 2017 in Romeoville, Illinois. (Scott Olson / Getty Images)
Amazon works with police departments across the country, offering them facial recognition services in the form of Ring, a video-doorbell app. The company has contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and seeks them with the US military. In recent months, Amazon has fired several black warehouse workers in what appears to be retaliation for organizing.
Clearly, Amazon is no racial justice organization. But yesterday, in the midst of nationwide protests sparked by the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the company suggested otherwise.
“The inequitable and brutal treatment of Black people in our country must stop. Together we stand in solidarity with the Black community — our employees, customers, and partners — in the fight against systemic racism and injustice,” says a statement posted to Amazon’s Twitter account.
This article is for subscribers only. Please login or subscribe to access our full archives and beautiful print and digital magazine starting at just $3 a month.