Longtime member here. 40 years ago this June I joined REI when I was visiting the old flagship store in Seattle. Props to REI for announcing that " We stand for racial equity." While it's a no brainer, it was and is important for REI to add its voice in support of social justice. Even so, talk is cheap. It's now time for REI to take meaningful action to show that its words mean something. Using the campaign hashtag #StopHateForProfit, the NAACP, the ADL and other civil rights organizations are calling for corporations to stop running Facebook ads in July. The sad fact is that Facebook, which has had a long history of allowing racist, violent and verifiably false content to run rampant, has repeatedly failed to meaningfully address the vast proliferation of hate on its platforms. As the NAACP has announced, "It is clear that Facebook and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, are no longer simply negligent, but in fact, complacent in the spread of misinformation, despite the irreversible damage to our democracy." Just today The North Face announced that it's in and that it will halt advertising on Facebook. As the North Face declared, "We know that for too long harmful, racist rhetoric and misinformation has made the world unequal and unsafe, and we stand with the NAACP and the other organizations who are working to #StopHateforProfit." It's not just The North Face either. 360i, the leading digital ad agency whose clients include Unilverer, recommends that corporate clients join #StopHateForProfit. As 360i writes, "any social platform that earns profits by amplifying the voices of their community must have a zero tolerance policy for hate." REI needs to get out in front of this growing march for action, not just because it's the right thing to do but also to protect its own brand. Frankly if REI fails to sign up for #StopHateForProfit, despite my warm feelings towards REI, I'll start to wonder whether I want to continue to be a member of a co-op that continues to funnel cash towards a hate-filled platform like Facebook. I look forward to REI's statement joining #StopHateForProfit promptly. As I write, it's Juneteenth. REI should take a stand today.
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