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Media Companies Voice Support For Black Lives Matter Amid Massive Protests Over George Floyd Death – Update

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UPDATED, SUNDAY AM: America’s top media companies continue to show solidarity with those impacted by “senseless violence” as well as their Black employees and talent while protests over George Floyd’s death continue for a fifth straight day.

In their statement, Warner Bros. quoted Bryan Stevenson, the founder of Equal Justice Initiative who was depicted in the studio’s 2019 legal drama Just Mercy based on his memoir.

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ViacomCBS extended their support to Black communities around the country.

Additionally, it was announced Sunday that all networks and platforms from ViacomCBS’ Entertainment and Youth Brands will be going dark for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, which marks the time in which George Floyd died while restrained. The time will not only serve as a tribute to Floyd but as a tribute to all those who have been victims of racism including Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and countless others.

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Lionshate issued the following a statement of support.

Lionsgate stands with all people of color in the fight against racial injustice and inequality. The recent killing of George Floyd is the latest in a series of deplorable events that highlight the need for real change in how we address our diversity as a society. Our Company has a proud 20-year history of serving our audiences with films and television programming that celebrate this diversity and speak to a wide range of cultural experiences. On behalf of our entire organization and all of our businesses, we are committed to a society that is diverse, inclusive, tolerant and respectful.

On Friday, YouTube took a stand against racism and violence, pledging $1 million for social justice.

In a letter to Disney employees, Executive Chairman Bob Iger, CEO Bob Chapek and Chief Diversity Officer Latondra Newton promised “real change.”

“The recent killing of George Floyd as well as other instances of lethal attacks and harassment of unarmed black citizens in our nation continue to drive outrage and calls for action by people of all cultural backgrounds, including many of our employees,” the letter said. :We, too, are struggling to make sense of the recent tragedies that leave us feeling overcome with sorrow. While we don’t have all the answers, we resolve to use our compassion, our creative ideas and our collective sense of humanity to ensure we are fostering a culture that acknowledges our people’s feelings and their pain.”

Disney division Marvel Entertainment, whose Black Panther marked a milestone for African-American representation, issued its own statement:

PREVIOUS SATURDAY PM: As Los Angeles and other American cities go into curfew and fires burn tonight over protests over the death of George Floyd at the hands of now arrested ex-Minneapolis cop, Hulu, Amazon’s Prime Video and Starz have added their voice to Netflix in support of Black Lives Matter.

In an Instagram post that went up just before 9 PM PT, an hour into LA’s police enforced lockdown, the Jeff Bezos-founded streamer and Amazon Studios spoke directly to its almost 1 million followers, plus the more than 1.6 million on Twitter and those beyond:

Earlier in the evening, Hulu and Starz also voiced support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Earlier Saturday, Netflix put out their own statement on social media (see below) with the message of “To be silent is to be complicit. Black lives matter.”

Also on Saturday, WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar sent a company memo that echoed the same sentiment. In it, he vowed to provide “validation to the voices of our Black team members. Your voices matter, your messages matter.” He also stressed the need to “increase our collective empathy for the Black community. In order to do so, I am going to lean into the foundation and very reason for being of this great company, which is story. Ours is a company that tells stories. And stories, told well, have the power to move people in lasting ways.”

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