Apple boss Tim Cook pens open letter on racism after ‘senseless’ George Floyd killing
Apple chief executive Tim Cook has published an open letter admitting that his company must do more to tackle racism.
In the letter, published on Apple’s website, Cook spoke out about the “senseless killing” of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who was killed in police custody in Minneapolis.
“To create change, we have to reexamine our own views and actions in light of a pain that is deeply felt but too often ignored,” he wrote.
“Issues of human dignity will not abide standing on the sidelines. To the Black community — we see you. You matter and your lives matter.”
The tech boss said Apple committed to continuing its work bringing “critical resources and technology to underserved school systems”, as well as tackling “environmental injustice” such as climate change that disproportionately harm black and other minority communities.
Cook said the company would continue to focus on inclusion and diversity and donate to organisations such as the Equal Justice Initiative, a charity aimed at ending mass incarceration and racial inequality in the justice system.
“This is a moment when many people may want nothing more than a return to normalcy, or to a status quo that is only comfortable if we avert our gaze from injustice,” he wrote.
“As difficult as it may be to admit, that desire is itself a sign of privilege. George Floyd’s death is shocking and tragic proof that we must aim far higher than a ‘normal’ future, and build one that lives up to the highest ideals of equality and justice.”
Apple is the latest firm to speak out about racism following Floyd’s killing, which has sparked protests and riots in the US and around the world.