Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos issued a public pledge of support to the Black Lives Matter movement on Friday. The chief executive did so in reply to a customer email criticizing his company’s response to the death of George Floyd and ongoing protests around the country against racism and systemic police brutality. Bezos posted his reply publicly on Instagram.
Right now, Amazon.com has a prominent “Black Lives Matter” banner at the top of the page that links to a blog post describing actions the company is taking to support black communities and racial justice. The customer took issue with the banner, saying “it is quite disturbing to get on the AMAZON website and see ‘BLACK LIVES MATTER.’” The customer later said that “ALL LIVES MATTER,” a common right-wing refrain used to criticize the Black Lives Matter movement.
“‘Black lives matter’ doesn’t mean other lives don’t matter. Black lives matter speaks to racism and the disproportionate risk that Black people face in our law enforcement and justice system,” Bezos said in part of his reply.
You can read the customer’s full email and Bezos’ response on Bezos’ Instagram post.
Mark Zuckerberg also stated “black lives matter” in an email sent to employees that he posted publicly Friday evening. “To members of our Black community: I stand with you. Your lives matter. Black lives matter,” said Zuckerberg.