By Roger Caldwell
Facebook is one of the largest social media platform and technology companies in the world. It is led by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and the company went public in 2012 with a valuation of $104 billion. There are 30,000 employees in the company, and since the 2016 election there has been the spread of ongoing fake news and hate speeches directed at the Black community.
During 2017, it was discovered that Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg were aware that “Bad actors have identified the Black community as strategic tar-gets on Facebook’s platform to propagate racial division and marginalize our voices, and our votes,” says the News One Staff.
According to Derrick Johnson, CEO/President of the NAACP, “A company whose corporate mission is to give its more than two billion monthly users the power to build community and bring the world closer together should not be complicit in the spread of information that seeks to tear communities apart.”
When Black people use Facebook, very few have any idea that there is a propaganda campaign being directed at the Black community to keep them from voting. Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook are well aware that this is taking place, but they have done nothing to improve the conditions and issues.
“Less than a year ago, NAACP called out Facebook for its negligence in the spread of propaganda and divisive advertisements in the 2016 Presidential election – ads which maliciously targeted African American users of the platform. We led a week long protest – #LogOutFacebook – and thousands of supporters stood with us, and logged out of the platform,” says Derrick Johnson.
To the Black community this is appalling. Civil rights leaders and Black federal legislators are speaking out against the treatment of our community. Recently Representative Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) of the House Financial Services Committee took part in a hearing where Facebooks CEO, Mark Zuckerberg testified, and was grilled on Why Facebook allows advertisers to exclude people on the basis of race.
Mr. Zuckerberg could not explain why a company that is worth $130 billon is negligent on civil rights, diversity and inclusion as it relates to the Black community. It is obvious that the company does not have a policy for hiring Blacks and people of color, and the Congresswoman wants to know why.
“A letter from Al Sharpton, Founder & President National Action Network (NAN), Derrick Johnson, President/CEO, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and Marc Morial, President/CEO, National Urban League (NUL), said they would like to meet as soon as possible to discuss our concerns as Civil Rights leaders regarding issues of election security and voter suppression tactics,” says News One Staff.
This is a major Human Rights Campaign that Facebook is not serious about changing because there is really no one to hold them accountable to make a change. It seems as though Diversity is not really that important to them, when you are one of the largest technological companies in the world.
Mark Zuckerberg has said that the company is going to make some changes, but when you service 2 billion people each month, it is difficult to find racist accounts and groups. Representative Beatty is attacking the company correctly by challenging the company to hire more diverse employees and companies.
Diversity and civil rights will always be an issue with power and money. It is great to see Civil Rights Leaders building coalitions and working together to challenge powerful companies to address discrimination and a lack of diversity. The struggle for equality, human rights and civil rights must be challenged, whenever it raises its ugly head.
