My Message To Corporate America: Stop Being Hypocrites
Performative Wokeness in the age of CSR
As US cities were set aflame this past weekend, thousands of mostly young people flocked to Instagram to hear what Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is known for her timely, unscripted and powerful IG Live broadcasts, had to say.
“If you are calling for an end to this unrest, and if you are a calling for an end to all of this, but you are not calling for the end of the conditions that created the unrest, you are a hypocrite.. So if you’re out here calling for the end of unrest, then you better be calling for health care as a human right, you better be calling for accountability in our policing, you better be supporting community review boards, you better be supporting the end of housing discrimination…Because if you don’t call for those things and you’re asking for the end of unrest, all you’re asking for is the continuation of quiet oppression.”
I hope corporate America was also listening in. Because her sentiment holds true not just for elected officials, but also for every CEO and brand that has publicly aligned itself with the Black Lives Matters movement.
If you are speaking out against racism, by claiming to “stand in solidarity with the Black community,” to “work for real change,” and to “use your platform for good,” BUT you are…
