In the wake of the brutal killing of George Floyd in Minnesota, Disney has sent a letter to fellow employees addressing the horrible tragedy. The letter is signed by Disney CEO Bob Chapek, Executive Chairman Bob Iger, and Disney’s Chief Diversity Officer Latondra Newton.
This letter addresses the pain and anger being felt due to events surrounding George Floyd’s murder and also resolves to use the resources of The Walt Disney Company to foster a culture that acknowledges the feelings and pain that is being felt. Disney also re-commits to diversity inclusion. Finally, Disney also commits to a real conversation to help influence change.
The full letter can be read here:
Dear Fellow Employee,
The recent killing of George Floyd as well as other instances of lethal attacks and harassment of unarmed black citizens in our nation continue to drive outrage and calls for action by people of all cultural backgrounds, including many of our employees. Feelings of grief and anger cause us to confront the inscrutable idea that the lives of some are deemed less valuable – and less worthy of dignity, care and protection – than the lives of others.
While these devastating incidents are not new, there’s something unique about what’s happening in this moment. The pandemic coupled with these recent injustices have pushed the issues of racial disparity into the open.
We, too, are struggling to make sense of the recent tragedies that leave us feeling overcome with sorrow. While we don’t have all the answers, we resolve to use our compassion, our creative ideas and our collective sense of humanity to ensure we are fostering a culture that acknowledges our people’s feelings and their pain. We also realize that now more than ever is the time for us all to further strengthen our commitment to diversity and inclusion everywhere.
We intend to focus our efforts and resources to compassionately and constructively talk about these matters openly and honestly as we seek solutions. We intend to keep the conversation going, not just today, but for as long as it takes to bring about real change.
Bob Chapek, Bob Iger & Latondra Newton
DAPS MAGIC supports the Equal Justice Initiative. If you would like to support this organization as well, you can do so at: https://support.eji.org/give/153413/#!/donation/checkout.
