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The recent murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor are the latest instances of police brutality that resulted in the deaths of Black Americans. The tragedies are the latest instances of systemic racism toward the Black community. The outcry for justice has gathered hundreds of thousands of people across the world to come together for change. Additionally, brands have advocated for awareness to end racism.
However, a recent article published by Footwear News reported that a protest was set to take place at the adidas North America Headquarters in Portland, Oregon, following a letter sent by adidas Originals Assistant Apparel Director Julia Bond in regards to adidas’ “consistent complacency” regarding the matters at hand.
“adidas has shown that there is a high tolerance for racism, even though publicly, they admonish it. How many times have I gone into HR about a racist incident — only to be met with responses about the inflictors intent versus their impact-thus negating my experience?” Bond said.
adidas issued a statement as it addresses what the plan within the organization will be moving forward as it stands in solidarity with the Black community. The statement also addresses that it will listen to its Black employees to support and involve them in future solutions.
Read adidas’ statement below. To learn about ways to help, follow this link.
adidas has always been and will always be against discrimination in all forms and stands against racism.
We are deeply saddened by what we see happening to our Black community in America. Racism is an issue that exists not only in the U.S., but in all countries. We all want to see justice, action, peace, and most importantly, progress. As a global sports company, adidas is committed to creating change.
Throughout the week we have communicated with our employees to listen and understand and respect the range of emotions we are all going through and have provided support and resources. All leaders in North America and in our Global HQ attended educational sessions to understand and learn how to lead through this crisis. Our online donation platform, DEED, provides the opportunity for 200% matching of employee donations to support organizations that are working on the frontlines of anti-racism and actively working to support our Black communities.
We’re listening. We recognize that we have not done enough, and we are dedicated to doing more. We are close to finalizing our commitments to ensure our people, most importantly our Black employees, are heard, supported and involved in solutions. We are working very closely with our employee resource group Progressive Soles and a coalition of Black leaders, and we are united in making progress. Together we’re establishing quantifiable goals focused on immediate action and long-term impact, internally and externally. We will hold ourselves accountable for change. We firmly believe that together is the only way to move forward.
We will share our commitments first with our employees and then publicly next week.
