Jeff Bezos champions ‘Black Lives Matter’ in response to customer
Amazon recently pledged to donate $10 million to organizations supporting justice and equality, such as the NAACP and the National Urban League.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is standing in solidarity with the Black community amid the civil unrest that is rocking the nation following the death of George Floyd.
Customers have been greeted by a message on the company’s site that reads, “Black lives matter.” Bezos shared an email from a shopper with the subject line “All Lives Matter,” who also noted that the retailer’s stance was “quite disturbing.”
(Getty Images)
“I am for everyone voicing their opinions and standing up for what you believe in, but for your company to blast this on your website is very offensive to me and I’m sure you’ll be hearing from others,” the message continued.
READ MORE: Fence surrounding White House transformed into Black Lives Matter memorial
Bezos responded by reminding critics that “‘Black lives matter’ doesn’t mean other lives don’t matter,” he wrote. “Black lives matter speaks to the racism and the disproportionate risk that Black people face in our law enforcement and justice system.”
He continued, “I have a 20-year-old son, and I simply don’t worry that he might be choked to death while being detained one day. It’s not something I worry about. Black parents can’t say that the same.”
Meanwhile, Amazon recently pledged to donate $10 million to organizations supporting justice and equality, such as the NAACP and the National Urban League.
“None of this is intended to dismiss or minimize the very real worries you or anyone else might have in their own life, but I want you to know I support this movement that we see happening all around us, and my stance won’t change,” Bezos concluded his IG message in response to the customer’s email.
His post was met with a flurry of hateful comments from racists who vowed to cease shopping with the online retail giant.
A message from a pissed off customer named Dave said he’s looking forward to watching “your profits decline and laugh about it.”
But Bezos was unmoved, firing back with, “There have been a number of sickening but not surprising responses in my inbox since my last post. This sort of hate shouldn’t be allowed to hide in the shadows. It’s important to make it visible. This is just one example of the problem.”
He added, “And, Dave, you’re the kind of customer I’m happy to lose.”
READ MORE: NASCAR stands for ‘Black Lives Matter’ in video
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