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The protests get results

Bloomberg Equality
Bloomberg

Global demonstrations against systemic racism and police violence in America are getting results from big business. Corporations aren't always sure what to say and do, but protests triggered by the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd have compelled many to at least say something. There's a continuum of responses, from weak (just a press release) to middling (statement plus donations to social justice causes) to strong (changing business practices to address racial disparities).

Sephora became the first major retailer to commit to source 15% of its merchandise from black-owned businesses. Twitter and Square have declared Juneteenth, or June 19, the commemoration of the end of slavery, to be a company holiday. Record labels pledged $225 million to fight racial injustice, which has raised the question of whether they would also diversify their management. Missteps at this moment have been costly: White male leaders at companies including the New York Times and CrossFit have been forced to stepped down.

Consumers are also changing the business landscape directly. Social media calls for shoppers to "buy black" have fueled sales at black-owned companies at a moment when small businesses are struggling, especially those owned by African Americans. —Philip Gray

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A European Union commission recommends "objective criteria" to determine which countries' residents will be allowed to enter the bloc as lockdowns ease. Some travel bans around the world were seen as arbitrary and discriminatory.

Some parts of the U.S. are seeing a second spike in coronavirus cases, and not always in predictable places. Georgia, which reopened salons and gyms a month and a half ago, is reporting a pretty flat curve. In California, which has been more cautious, the virus appeared to be proliferating again in Los Angeles, but not San Francisco. 

Are U.S. areas that have had large protests being hit harder by the second wave of Covid-19? Not yet. Some demonstrators have tested positive, but it's too soon for transmission during the past 10 days or so to explain the current surge.

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Graduating into a job market crushed by a pandemic and racked by protests wasn't on the long list of disadvantages black college students were expecting. Experts say black college graduates' career plans will suffer disproportionately.

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When social isolation measures began in the U.S., location-tracking data showed more people in affluent ZIP codes were able to stay home sooner. Now only one-third of Americans are home all day, according to Bloomberg Businessweek. Some have gone out to join the protests against racial inequality.

Inside the demonstrations 

Bloomberg Businessweek is highlighting images from protests across the U.S., capturing moments of grief, rage and division, as well as hope and solidarity. In New York, a dense phalanx of police officers faces off with a anti-police brutality protestors chanting "hands up, don't shoot." In Miami, a lone demonstrator stands outside a prison with her fist raised as inmates bang on the windows in response. In Virginia, a monument to the Confederacy is besieged, and ultimately brought down.

Protesters march in Baltimore on June 1.

Photograph: Michael A. McCoy

 

 

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