Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella: 'There Is No Place For Hate And Racism In Our Society'
‘Empathy and shared understanding are a start, but we must do more,’ Nadella says in posts on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella on Monday said that Americans "must do more" to combat racism within communities, as protests continued around the U.S. over police mistreatment of African Americans.
"There is no place for hate and racism in our society," Nadella said in a post published on Twitter and LinkedIn.
"Empathy and shared understanding are a start, but we must do more. I stand with the Black and African American community and we are committed to building on this work in our company and in our communities," said Nadella, who was born in India and initially came to the U.S. to earn his master's in computer science, in the post.
Nadella's statement comes after days of both peaceful protests over the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody as well as violent attacks on property and law enforcement in many cities.
Girish Avantsa, the founder of systems integrator PopcornApps, a Microsoft Gold partner, told CRN that the COVID-19 pandemic had already been "putting a lot of pressure on our communities and on the economy, and on the livelihoods of so many people."
"The last 72 hours have added a completely new dimension," Avantsa said. "As a small business owner, it's very hard to see things happening the way they are happening today. Hopefully it will subside. Because I think the larger cause is getting lost because of the other things that are happening."
"It's a very sensitive time, and we are all holding onto what we can do within our limits," he added.
As part of the Twitter and LinkedIn posts, Nadella also shared a post from Microsoft's main accounts stating that, "At this time, we will be using our platform to amplify voices from the Black and African American community at Microsoft."
There is no place for hate and racism in our society. Empathy and shared understanding are a start, but we must do more. I stand with the Black and African American community and we are committed to building on this work in our company and in our communities. https://t.co/WaEuhRqBho
— Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) June 1, 2020
The first post shared by the account for this initiative is one from Megan Carpenter, director of diversity and inclusion communications and events at Microsoft.
"I personally don’t want the flashy signs or symbols of allyship, I’m not looking for the buttons and t-shirts and hashtags (there are many dissenting opinions here both in the D&I space and even within community)," Carpenter wrote in the LinkedIn post shared by Microsoft and Nadella. "I want an ally who pays attention to what is happening outside their own community or perspective. I want an ally who knows that these things are happening to people like me, without me needing to tell them that they are happening to people like me."
Ultimately, "I want an ally who works to change their individual behavior and change the system around us for the better," Carpenter wrote.