It’s been a volatile week around the country after yet another unarmed black man was killed at the hands of police. George Floyd, 46, died on Monday in Minneapolis after an officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes while Floyd pleaded that he was unable to breathe.
When local prosecutors initially declined to bring charges against the officer in question, Derek Chauvin, protesters took to the streets in Minneapolis and elsewhere around the country in demonstrations that quickly turned violent. In the aftermath on Friday, authorities eventually arrested Chauvin and charged him with murder.
Several athletes have taken front center with protesters in solidarity, including retired NBA player Stephen Jackson, who was a close personal friend of Floyd, and Karl-Anthony Towns, the Timberwolves star who joined the demonstration in Minneapolis. Now Nike, the Oregon-based shoe and apparel company, has added its voice to the mix with a powerful new ad about the need to take action against racial inequality in America.
. @Nike releases “Don’t Do It” campaign in response to deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and racial profiling of Christian Cooper.
President/CEO John Donahoe also sent out companywide letter, stating: “Let me be as clear as I can: Nike is opposed to bigotry.” pic.twitter.com/27XF03o0xQ
— Aaron Dodson (@aardodson) May 29, 2020
Below is the full transcript of the memo Nike sent out to employees on Friday, in which Donahoe discusses the company’s responsibility to inspire others to take action, a sentiment reflected in its new commercial.
Full letter sent to all @Nike employees from CEO John Donahoe.
Opening line: “As we’ve watched racial tragedies expose prejudice and injustice in our cities … I can’t stop thinking about the individuals impacted: Ahmaud Arbery. Christian Cooper. Breonna Taylor. George Floyd.” pic.twitter.com/NjYpL5wesK
— Aaron Dodson (@aardodson) May 29, 2020
This isn’t the first time Nike has spoken out about these issues. In September of 2018, they debuted a campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick with the tagline “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.”