The sneaker giant Adidas has pledged that at least 30% of new U.S. jobs at its eponymous and Reebok divisions will go to African American and Latinx people.
The German company also announced plans to invest $20 million “in our Black communities” over the next four years and to pay for 50 university scholarships every year for African American students.
“The events of the past two weeks have caused all of us to reflect on what we can do to confront the cultural and systemic forces that sustain racism. We have had to look inward to ourselves as individuals and our organization and reflect on systems that disadvantage and silence Black individuals and communities,” Adidas CEO Kasper Rorsted said in a statement.
Other companies have made similar commitments in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police on May 25. Since then, there have been many protests across the United States, with people demanding racial justice. Among the big-name businesses making promises are Comcast ($100 million donation), Facebook ($10 million donation), and Thumbtack (hiring a head of diversity, equity, and inclusion).
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