Statement from Slack Condemning White Supremacy and Violence Against the Black Community

We are horrified and sickened not only by George Floyd’s murder and the larger context of police brutality against Black people, but also by the pattern of violent response to largely peaceful protests. We stand in solidarity with our Black employees, customers, and community.

Last week, our CEO posted an internal message to all Slack employees. At the time we decided not to publish it externally because we were worried it would appear as grandstanding or empty virtue signaling.

Was our own house in order? How would Black employees who felt that their own experience at Slack didn’t live up to our ideals or commitments feel? Where should our donations go? How could we work with the broader community? What actions would best support structural change?

But now is not the time to remain silent. We value empathy and solidarity. We condemn the senseless violence against Black people and we condemn White supremacy. Here is what our CEO @stewart posted last week:

We commit to following up publicly with the actions we will be taking. And in the meantime, we hope you all stay safe, that the current violence ends quickly, and that this crisis can be the start of structural change, finally, after hundreds of years. #BlackLivesMatter

To see the original tweets where this message was shared, click here.