Google commits $175 million to racial equity with focus on black-owned businesses

Plus announces plans to improve representation and support within the company.
Google is committing to spending more than $175 million on racial equity initiatives with a focus on financing black-owned businesses and supporting black entrepreneurs. The funding was announced by Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Wednesday alongside a number of other commitments and changes meant to fight anti-black racism and support black Google employees and their families.

Anti-racism: What does the phrase 'Black Lives Matter' mean?

You may have heard lots of people using the phrase 'Black Lives Matter' in recent times. It's a statement which has become an important way for people to show their support for members of the black community who have experienced discrimination simply because of the colour of their skin.

What 2021 taught us about the fight for racial justice

We witnessed the destructive power of anger and resentment this year. Brandishing Confederate iconography, insurrectionists laid siege to the US Capitol, in what amounted to an assault on multiracial democracy. Republican-led state legislatures enacted laws making it more difficult for people of color to vote, and also waged war on transgender kids. Within the GOP, Islamophobia proved to be as potent as ever.

How equity and inclusion coaches are helping schools become anti-racist

Their goal is to create systemic change and a sense of belonging for all students and families.
A classmate told my Black biracial teen that the Black Lives Matter movement wasn’t relevant to their collaborative report on repercussions of the Civil War, and my kid responded by calling her ignorant and naive. Sides were chosen and friendships challenged. By the end of the week, their teacher had hired an equity coach to conduct an anti-racist, anti-bias workshop and invited students and their parents to participate via Zoom.

BIPOC or POC? Equity or Equality? The Debate Over Language on the Left.

For those pushing for changes in society on race and other issues, words matter. They can also muddle.
In California, a Black college freshman from the South is telling a story about his Latino friends from home when he is interrupted by a white classmate. “We say ‘Latinx’ here,” he recalls her saying, using a term he had not heard before, “because we respect trans people.”

Some Companies Say They Want to Be Antiracist. What Does That Mean?

The movement set off by the police killing of George Floyd has prompted companies from Netflix Inc. to Walmart Inc. to promise changes and pledge millions toward racial equity. A handful of businesses, such as Peloton Interactive Inc., have paired their actions with another goal: declaring their companies will be antiracist.

Big tech companies are responding to George Floyd in a way they never did for Michael Brown

Amazon, Apple, Facebook and their peers put out statements of solidarity against racial injustice for George Floyd, but were stunningly silent six years ago. Now, they’re donating more money.
In the days since the death of George Floyd, technology’s biggest companies and their leaders have made public statements expressing solidarity with Black communities. The communications — which, really, are press releases — condemn racism and call for unity. Some at least name George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. Some have said “Black Lives Matter” outright.
More meaningfully, many companies have committed donations to causes fighting racial injustice in the millions of dollars.