Spotlight on Apple

Apple recently added two features to its computers and mobile devices—a set of Black Lives Matters emojis and a polite but no-nonsense rejoinder from Siri whenever a user says “All Lives Matter.” That phrase, the voice explains, “is often used in response to the phrase ‘Black Lives Matter,’ but it does not represent the same concerns. To learn more about the Black Lives Matter human rights movement, visit blacklivesmatter.com.”

One might consider these symbolic gestures, but behind them is a powerful resolve to eliminate institutional racism and social injustice in 21st-century America.

Following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers and the protest demonstrations that followed, Apple announced the formation of a $100 million Racial Equity and Justice Initiative, designed to:

“Challenge systemic barriers that limit opportunity for communities of color in the critical areas of education, economic equality and criminal justice,” according to CEO Tim Cook.

The company’s partners in that effort include the Equal Justice Initiative, which works to end mass incarceration and provides legal representation to people who have been illegally convicted, unfairly sentenced or abused in jails and prisons.

Apple also pledged to increase its spending with Black-owned business partners, expand representation of minorities in its supply chain and create a boot camp for black developers and entrepreneurs “to elevate the best ideas in the developer family.”

With a market capitalization of $1.3 trillion, Apple ranks among the world’s largest and most powerful corporations. Beyond a commitment to constant innovation, optimizing the user experience and delivering shareholder value, the company has leveraged its power and position in the service of social justice. In 2018, Cook joined more than 90 corporate executives in speaking out against a North Carolina law that would force transgender students to use school rest rooms “inconsistent with their gender identity. In 2019, he took aim at the “insanity” of the Senate’s failure to enact meaning gun control legislation.

And when hospitals and healthcare workers struggled with a shortage of personal protective equipment as the coronavirus gained ferocity this past spring, Apple sourced and distributed face masks to help close the PPE gap in the U.S. and Europe.

“At Apple, we’re not all the same, and that’s our greatest strength,” says the company website…Because to create products that serve everyone, we believe in including everyone.”

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About Brand Acts of Kindness® 

Brand Acts of Kindness® is a series from Carpenter Group that spotlights companies across industries that are living their brand values in addressing the unprecedented challenges facing the world today.

The series initially headlined companies assisting healthcare workers and first responders, as well as communities, businesses and families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We also highlight brands taking the lead in supporting social and racial justice, LGBTQ rights, sustainability and the environment. Their stories show how innovation, resolve and action, built on a solid value proposition, can both strengthen a brand and help create a better world.

About Carpenter Group

Carpenter Group is an independent, woman-owned strategic branding, messaging and marketing communications firm that has delivered results-driven solutions to financial, professional services and technology firms for 30+ years.

Our broad cross-discipline experience enables us to craft brand messaging and carry it through to the channels that most effectively connect with our clients’ target audience, from editorial content to advertising to event marketing and more.