Today is the first day of Black August, an important month of commemoration and celebration of the rich history of Black resistance to racial oppression.
First observed in 1979, Black August is an annual occasion to remember and honor Black political prisoners, including those who have been imprisoned for their criticism of the U.S. government.
This year, Corporate Accountability will observe Black August by not only honoring the Black activists who have long been central to the struggle for racial justice, but also by reflecting on how anti-Black racism have reinforced the exploitative economic systems that allow corporations to harm people and communities with impunity.
Recently, Corporate Accountability’s Black Collective organizers participated in an organizing trip to Montgomery, Alabama with the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), a non-profit organization dedicated to ending mass incarceration and reforming the criminal justice system in the United States.
EJI works with historically marginalized communities to address the still-present legacies of slavery, segregation, and racial injustice. And through this trip, we clearly saw how important it is for us to dismantle the systemic racism that underpins so many of the oppressive structures that allow racial injustices to continue.
Corporations like the GEO Group profit heavily from the prison industrial complex, which disproportionately impacts Black people. Others have funded police foundations that are then supplying police departments across the country with the technology and weapons used to brutalize Black communities, sometimes with impunity. Some of the biggest corporations in the country are also involved in financing the construction of cop city facilities that could further contribute to police militarization. And, most recently, an investigation by the Associated Press revealed the links between some of the world’s largest food corporations and the use of inmate labor in the supply chains of popular brands like McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, and Tyson Foods.
It’s no secret that transnational corporations play a crucial role in the exploitation and abuse of Black communities. And today, on the first day of Black August, we are reaffirming our commitment to advancing racial justice by partnering with Black-led organizations and drawing on our corporate campaigning expertise to expose and challenge the links between corporate abuse and systemic racism.
And as a member of Corporate Accountability, we invite you to join us in carrying out this vital work, including by dedicating your solidarity to other programs that aim to support Black liberation. This can include:
- Learning more about the the significance of Black August as a month of reflection and commemoration.
- Familiarizing yourself with the Equal Justice Initiative’s Community Remembrance Project , which memorialized victims of racial violence and educates communities about the history of racial injustice in the United States.
- Understanding the links between corporate power and systemic racism—and how reparations can help undo the legacy of harm that slavery has created for Black communities.
We hope that the resources we’ve included in this email can be a starting point for you to take action. Together, we can push for progress that creates lasting change for everyone.
