Facebook Tries to Leap Into the Next Era of Civil Rights
Jan 20, 2021
In the wake of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and as a new presidential administration takes shape, Facebook has hired Roy Austin to become its first VP of Civil Rights. Austin has worked as a civil rights lawyer for over 25 years, and he has also served on the White House Domestic Policy Council as Deputy Assistant to the President for the Office of Urban Affairs, Justice and Opportunity during the Obama administration.
Facebook talks meaningful change after a boycott and a walkout?
The new position comes after last summer’s ad boycott “Stop Hate for Profit” campaign engaged more than 1,000 companies — including Adidas, Coca-Cola, Unilever and Starbucks — to pause advertising on the platform through July to urge Facebook to build a permanent civil rights infrastructure.