Companies that donated to Black Lives Matter (BLM) Movement

Are these the real reasons that companies donated to Black Lives Matter?

The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement has gained prominence over the past decade. Many commercial companies and organizations are donating to this cause.

Are they donating to BLM because they truly care about this cause or are they simply doing it for political gain?

One of the major concerns surrounding the movement is the fair use of these funds and the motives of the funding parties. Below is a list of 10 prominent companies that have donated to the BLM movement along with the potential real reasons that they donated.

1. Intel 

Intel pledged to donate $1 million to organizations fighting racial discrimination and injustice. The BLM Foundation, the Center for Policing Equity, and the NAACP legal defense fund were among them. Intel’s CEO Bob Swan said, “I also encourage employees to consider donating to organizations focused on equity and social justice, including the Black Lives Matter Foundation, the Center for Policing Equity, and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.” In the past, the brand has had a lot of backlash over its racist core 2 Duo ad.

2. Glossier 

Glossier, an American-based beauty product manufacturer, has announced to donate $500,000 to the BLM movement. The organization’s CEO, Emily Weiss, also pledged that they would donate another $500 to Afro-American-owned businesses. A post on the company’s Instagram account read, “We stand in solidarity with the fight against systemic racism, white supremacy, and the historic oppression of the Black community. Black lives matter.” The company’s employees have reported racism within the brand’s stores.

3. Walmart 

The retail giant Walmart announced to donate $100 million over five years towards racial equity. The retail giant has had its fair share of criticism of racist practices. Some people received emails from the company containing racial slurs.

4. Square Enix 

The video game creators famous for the Final Fantasy gaming franchise announced that they will donate $250,000 to the BLM movement. They also promised to match employee donations. The organization has been criticized for racist caricature in one of its games.

5. Microsoft 

Microsoft has committed $1.5 million to organizations supporting racial equality. The tech giant’s Diversity and Inclusion Program aims to double the company’s Black-owned approved suppliers by 2023. The Windows maker has been under fire for trying to profit from racial sentiments in the past.

6. Nike 

Nike and its partner brands have committed to donating $140 million over the next ten years to empower the Afro-American community. According to the company’s website: “Our investments will go toward developing strategic national partnership, as well as supporting local community organizations, and we’ll engage our employees as partners throughout. The company has been criticized for using activism for brand marketing.

7. Ubisoft

Ubisoft has tweeted its commitment to ending racism and empowering the black community. The company has pledged to donate $100,000 to NAACP and the BLM movement. The company has been reported to have sexism and racism across the board.

8. AT&T 

AT&T spent around $3 billion with its black-owned suppliers in 2020. The company’s CEO John Stankey said, “We are committed to ensuring our workplace is inclusive and that we recruit, retain and advance people with a wide diversity of backgrounds and perspectives.” Though the company contributes to the BLM movement, it is also supporting racist politicians.

9. Airbnb 

Airbnb announced a donation of $500,000 to BLM and NAACP. The company also pledged to match employee donations to both groups. The company wrote in a tweet: “A world where we all belong takes all of us.” According to a Harvard study, black people are less likely to get a room on the platform.

10. Aritzia

Aritzia promised to donate $100,000 to BLM and NAACP. The clothing brand’s post on Instagram read: “No words, no post on Instagram, no amount of donations will ever be enough, but action inspires actions inspires change. And we are in this together.” In 2020 the company’s ex-employees reported that the company’s culture was discriminative towards black people.

Overall, corporate entities are using the BLM movement to profit in terms of brand recognition. Those reported to have racist policies or practices in the past are supporting the movement to clear their names.