Disney has denounced the murder of George Floyd and released a statement addressed to its employees regarding the racial disparity and the ongoing protests. The letter is signed off on behalf of Disney former CEO and chairman Bob Iger, CEO Bob Chapek, and The Walt Disney SVP and chief diversity officer Latondra Newton.
“The recent killing of George Floyd as well as other instances of lethal attacks and harassment of unarmed black citizens in our nation continue to drive outrage and calls for action by people of all cultural backgrounds, including many of our employees,” the letter wrote.
Below is a link to a statement we sent to our fellow @Disney employees. It’s from Bob Chapek, our CEO, Latondra Newton, our Chief Diversity Officer, and me.
Thank you.https://t.co/R6ucJhv26p— Robert Iger (@RobertIger) May 31, 2020
Former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin was fired after a video emerged showing him detaining Floyd and kneeling on Floyd’s neck. Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter after protests that began in Minneapolis and spread throughout the country.
Disney also mentioned strengthening its commitment to diversity and inclusion everywhere. They took to their social media platforms to send across a message –
“We stand against racism.
We stand for inclusion.
We stand with our fellow Black employees, storytellers, creators and the entire Black community.
We must unite and speak out.”
— Disney (@Disney) May 31, 2020
Protests from several parts of the world have flooded social media and people have been agitated due to the merciless act and racism. A #IcantBreathe, #GeorgeFloyd and others has been doing the rounds to show solidarity to him and pay respect to Floyd.
