McDonald’s Donated $1 Million To The NAACP And The National Urban League
You’ve likely seen messaging from many brands recently regarding the Black Lives Matter movement and the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other Black people in America by police. While some simply issued statements of support, some took it a step further into committed action.
Below we've listed statements from food brands that are coupled with actions big and small, such as donations to anti-racism causes and conversations with staff. By compiling them here, we are not saying they hold equal weight or are by any means comprehensive, but hope to help you be a more informed consumer. We'll continue to update this as we see more.
Ben & Jerry's
The ice cream brand has been vocal about the Black Lives Matter movement in the past. In addition to re-sharing the post they made in 2016, they also issued another blog post called "Silence is not an option" in which they detailed support for national actions including support for Congress to pass HR 40 and echoed George Floyd's family in calling for the creation of "a national task force that would draft bipartisan legislation aimed at ending racial violence and increasing police accountability."
Emmy's Organics
A post shared by Emmy's Organics, Inc. (@emmysorganics) on Jun 1, 2020 at 7:48am PDT
The food brand issued a statement affirming that it is committed to being an anti-racist company and that it would be donating 100 percent of the profits from its online store from Monday through Wednesday to the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund. You can donate to the fund yourself here.
Enlightened
A post shared by Enlightened (@eatenlightened) on Jun 1, 2020 at 3:27pm PDT
Through June, the brand is donating 50 percent of profits from both EatEnlightened.com and BadaBeanSnacks.com, with a minimum commitment of $50,000, to the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund.
McDonald's
McDonald's President Joe Erlinger issued an open letter on LinkedIn saying the company would "provide several opportunities to discuss these issues and our commitment to diversity and inclusion" and asked for suggestions on actions it could take to prove its commitment.
They were one of us:
Trayvon Martin. Michael Brown. Alton Sterling. Botham Jean. Atatiana Jefferson. Ahmaud Arbery. George Floyd. pic.twitter.com/s1UhP5vncv— McDonald's (@McDonalds) June 3, 2020
The brand also issued a statement supporting the Black Lives Matter movement and, in a message to the McDonald's system, announced a donation of $1 million to the NAACP and the National Urban League.
Miyoko's Creamery
A post shared by Miyoko's (@miyokoscreamery) on Jun 1, 2020 at 10:43am PDT
The vegan dairy brand pledged donations to the NAACP and Black Lives Matter, though it didn't specify how much. They also called on other brands to follow suit. You can donate to those causes here and here.
Starbucks
Starbucks issued a letter from its CEO saying that the chain had "a partner forum for any Starbucks partners who felt compelled to join a conversation about the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor and the many other racial injustices that have shaken the entire country and each one of us." The online forum consisted of 2,000 employees.
Taco Bell
A post shared by Taco Bell (@tacobell) on Jun 2, 2020 at 8:31am PDT
The company, like many others, issued a white text on black background statement but its statement said that its team was regrouping to come up with long-term solutions and that there was "more to come."
Thrive Market
A post shared by Thrive Market (@thrivemarket) on Jun 1, 2020 at 5:34pm PDT
The company's founders are donating $50,000 to Black Lives Matter and it will be matching employee donations for the Your Rights Camp Legal Defense Fund and the Atlanta Solidarity Fund two to one.
Wendy's
Wendys announced that it was donating $500,000 to "support social justice, the youth and education in the Black community starting with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and we’ll have receipts." The chain also said it would also be using its popular Twitter account to amplify the voices of Black creators in the coming days.
& Pizza
A post shared by &pizza (@andpizza) on May 31, 2020 at 10:31am PDT
In the chain's statement, they issued support for the black community and said they will now be giving employees paid time off for activism.
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