Activists are again targeting advertisers and business partners of the Washington Redskins for doing business with the NFL team, including PepsiCo, FedEx, and Nike.
A group of investment firms along with some shareholders are calling for advertisers to drop their support for the team based on its “racist” name, according to AdWeek magazine.
The letters sent to the advertisers that work with the Redskins claim that the companies are not living up to their stated opposition to “racial injustice.” The letters are signed by 87 firms holding more than $620 billion in assets.
“Many of us have raised this issue with Nike for years to little avail, “the letter to Nike states. “But in light of the Black Lives Matter movement that has focused the world’s attention on centuries of systemic racism, we are witnessing a fresh outpouring of opposition to the team name. Therefore, it is time for Nike to meet the magnitude of this moment, to make their opposition to the racist team name clear, and to take tangible and meaningful steps to exert pressure on the team to cease using it.”
The letter added that Nike is hypocritical for supporting national anthem protester Colin Kaepernick while at the same time associating with the Redskins. It is an act that “runs contrary to the very sentiments expressed by the company,” the letter states.
The group also blasted FedEx for sponsoring the Maryland stadium in which the Redskins play.
The letter to FedEx lambasts the company saying its support of the NFL team is an “association with and facilitation of the racism inherent in the name and logo,” and that its association “runs contrary to the very sentiments expressed by [FedEx].”
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