Two former Pinterest staff who left the image-sharing firm in late May publicly alleged in tweets on Monday that they’d skilled racial discrimination within the office.
Ifeoma Ozoma, who was Pinterest’s public coverage and social impression supervisor, known as the corporate’s latest solidarity with the anti-racism Black Lives Matter motion “a joke.”
Companies have rushed to publish statements of solidarity with the black neighborhood following international protests over racism and injustice after George Floyd, a black man, died in Minneapolis police custody on May 25.
“As a Black woman, seeing @Pinterest’s middle of the night ‘Black employees matter’ statement made me scratch my head after I just fought for over a full year to be paid and leveled fairly…” Ozoma mentioned in a single tweet.
A 12 months wherein I:
a) was doxxed by a white male colleague – he shared my cell quantity, picture, & title w/ violently racist/misogynistic components of the web (adopted up by a dangerously insufficient response from @Pinterest – there’s a lot extra to this horrible story:pensive:) 3/— Ifeoma Ozoma (@IfeomaOzoma) June 15, 2020
Pinterest didn’t instantly reply to a Reuters request for remark. A public word from its CEO on June 2 mentioned the corporate was dedicated to taking motion and enhancing its variety.
Aerica Shimizu Banks, who labored with Ozoma in the identical small coverage crew, mentioned on Twitter that it was a “racist & sexist workplace” and that she had confronted disparaging feedback about her ethnicity from her supervisor.
Ozoma additionally mentioned she was chastised for not presenting the professionals and cons for a coverage change that restricted Pinterest’s promotion of former Southern slave plantations as marriage ceremony venues and for a suggestion on contractor pay.
Civil rights organisation Colour of Change, which labored with Ozoma and Shimizu Banks of their former roles, mentioned in an announcement that Pinterest at minimal owed the ladies an apology and due compensation.
“Like so many tech companies that are posting messages of solidarity with Black Lives Matter, Pinterest’s actions undermine the company’s own words,” mentioned Color of Change’s marketing campaign director Jade Magnus Ogunnaike.
© Thomson Reuters 2020