This archive report was first published on 9 June 2020.
June 9, 2020
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has faced a torrent of racist emails from customers who disagree with the company's support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
Bezos recently shared an email from a customer who complained that the online retailer's advocacy was "quite disturbing." The customer wrote, "I am for everyone voicing their opinions and standing up for what you believe in, but for your company to blast this on your website is very offensive to me and I'm sure you'll be hearing from others. ALL LIVES MATTER!"
Bezos responded to the customer, saying, "'Black lives matter' doesn't mean other lives don't matter. Black lives matter speaks to the racism and the disproportionate risk that Black people face in our law enforcement and justice system."
He also shared a profane, racist email message from another customer, saying, "This sort of hate shouldn’t be allowed to hide in the shadows. It’s important to make it visible. This is just one example of the problem."
Bezos has been a vocal supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement, which demands a reckoning with institutional racism following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck while he was handcuffed.
Amazon has shown support for the movement by donating USD10 million to groups supporting social justice and equity issues, including the ACLU Foundation, National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the NAACP.
