Some of America’s top executives and business leaders shared their reactions to the Derek Chauvin verdict on social media and in letters to employees.
In tweets, public statements and letters to employees, some of America’s top business leaders expressed relief at the guilty verdict in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the murder of George Floyd and called upon the country to continue fighting for racial justice and police reform.
“Today’s verdict was just, but as Dr. King wrote: ‘Justice for Black people will not flow into society merely from court decisions nor from fountains of political oratory…Justice for Black people cannot be achieved without radical changes in the structure of our society,’” Apple CEO Tim Cook tweeted in the wake of the guilty verdict.
“We believe Black lives matter,” American Airlines executives, CEO Doug Parker, President Robert Isom, and Cedric Rockamore, vice president of global people operations and diversity and inclusion, wrote in an open letter to employees. “We know there is more work to do to achieve racial justice and equity in our society, and we remain committed to the journey.”
Chauvin was found guilty of all three charges, including second-degree murder and third-degree murder, on Tuesday afternoon.
Last spring, Floyd’s murder inspired Black Lives Matter protests across the U.S. and around the world and prompted a series of corporate commitments on everything from how companies recruit and hire Black employees to support for mandatory de-escalation training for police.
