Etsy to Donate $1 Million Toward Justice Reform and Black-Led Institutions

We Stand in Solidarity #BlackLivesMatter

To the Etsy Community,

The past days and weeks have, once again, shone a spotlight on the tremendous injustices in our society. We stand in solidarity with our employees and communities who are voicing their anguish, anger, and deep frustration with systems that oppress and devalue Black lives.

We stand against police brutality in all forms.
We stand against a criminal justice system that disproportionately targets Black Americans.
We stand against the widespread disenfranchisement of Black and Brown communities whose voices are silenced at the polls.

Allyship with Black communities is as much a moral imperative as a requirement of our business.

We can’t fight for small businesses, if we don’t also fight for the empowerment of Black business owners.
We can’t hire and care for our Black employees, if we don’t also protect Black lives everywhere.
We can’t be there for women employees, if we aren’t also standing up specifically for Black women.
We can’t advocate for parents, if we aren’t standing with Black mothers and fathers who fear for their Black childrens’ lives.

Black Lives Matter is the civil rights movement of our time, because it addresses a fundamental inequality in our society: that Black lives are too often undervalued. This notion inspired Etsy’s own internal commitments from diversity and inclusion to economic empowerment.

We also believe that it’s critical to provide support to organizations working tirelessly for criminal justice reform and those that assist Black-led institutions. That’s why today we are announcing donations of $500,000 to the Equal Justice Initiative and $500,000 to Borealis Philanthropy’s Black-Led Movement Fund, as well as matching employee donations. We encourage our community to join us in supporting these important organizations.

Etsy is built on a belief that communities have the power to change the status quo. Change is hard-fought, and we are committed to this fight.

Josh Silverman

CEO, Etsy

*This post was originally published on Etsy’s News Blog on 6/1/20*