Following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police, numerous brands released statements in which they claimed to be against racism and police brutality. Adidas was one of the brands that stood up against injustice as they released their very own statement and even showed some solidarity with their competitor, Nike.
However, Adidas Originals Assistant Apparel Director Julia Bond recently sent a message to the brand, addressing their own need to change. Bond claims that Adidas has promoted a racist work environment over the years and that numerous racist incidents have gone unchecked. "My existence at this brand is praised as diversity and inclusion, but when I look around, I see no one above or around that looks like me," the note read. "I can no longer stand for Adidas’ consistent complacency in taking active steps against a racist work environment. This is not business as usual."
Bond also told Footwear News that she and other Adidas employees will be protesting the brand's actions until they step up and apologize. "Adidas has shown that there is a high tolerance for racism," Bond said. "How many times have I gone into HR about a racist incident—only to be met with responses about the inflictors intent versus their impact-thus negating my experience?"
UPDATE: Adidas has since issued a statement to Sole Collector, saying:
"Adidas has always been and will always be against discrimination in all forms and stands against racism. We are deeply saddened by what we see happening to our Black community in America. Racism is an issue that exists not only in the U.S. but in all countries. We all want to see justice, action, peace, and most importantly, progress. As a global sports company, Adidas is committed to creating change. [...] "We’re listening. We recognize that we have not done enough, and we are dedicated to doing more. We are close to finalizing our commitments to ensure our people, most importantly our Black employees, are heard, supported and involved in solutions. We are working very closely with our employee resource group Progressive Soles and a coalition of Black leaders, and we are united in making progress. Together we’re establishing quantifiable goals focused on immediate action and long-term impact, internally and externally. We will hold ourselves accountable for change. We firmly believe that together is the only way to move forward."
[Via]