Facebook, Apple, Google, and other tech companies have pledged donations to civil rights groups fighting racial inequality after the killing of George Floyd on May 25, which has sparked protests across the U.S.
Footage of protesters, journalists, and bystanders protesting over the unjust death of Floyd flooded the internet as violence broke out over the weekend. The United States, the country with the largest number of coronavirus deaths, became the subject of headlines as wide-scale protests transpired in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Minneapolis, and the nation's capital.
Tech companies and CEOs have begun to weigh in on what amounts to a rather delicate topic for corporations not accustomed to rocking the boat on this manner of social issues.
In a post on Sunday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that the social media platform is "committing an additional $10 million" to civil rights groups. He also thanked 17-year-old Darnella Frazier for posting the video of Floyd's encounter with the police.
Apple CEO Tim Cook, meanwhile, pledged to make donations to Equal Justice Initiative and other civil rights groups, and match all employee donations two-to-one.
YouTube, which is owned by Google, in a tweet, promised a donation worth $1 million. "We stand in solidarity against racism and violence. When members of our community hurt, we all hurt," the company wrote.
Intel CEO Bob Swan on Sunday pledged $1 million in a note sent out to employees. He also encouraged the company's workers to donate to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the Center for Policing Equity, and the Black Lives Matter Foundation. The exec said that donations to any of these groups would make employees eligible for Intel's matching program.
A donation worth $3 million is to be given to nonprofit organizations by TikTok. Additionally, it's also pledging $1 million "toward fighting the racial injustice and inequality that we are witnessing in this country."
The nationwide protests were the aftermath of Floyd's death in Minneapolis in late May. Frazier's video shows the victim in handcuffs and on the ground, with a police officer pressing his knee on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes. The victim can repeatedly be heard saying, "I can't breathe." He was taken away in an ambulance and later pronounced dead.
Derek Chauvin, the police officer in question, has since been sacked and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Other officers involved in the incident were fired and placed under investigation.
