“Don’t turn your back on racism,” said Nike in the video.
San Francisco:
Nike has taken a stand against racism with a “Don’t do it” campaign, a variation of its famous slogan, as protests against police brutality spread to the United States.
“For once, don’t do it … don’t pretend there is no problem in America,” the American sports apparel giant said on Friday in a video posted on Twitter.
Let’s all be part of the change.#UntilWeAllWinpic.twitter.com/guhAG48Wbp
– Nike (@Nike) May 29, 2020
The message came as protesters across the United States took to the streets against the treatment of George Floyd, an African American who died at the hands of police in Minneapolis earlier this week.
In a rare sign of solidarity, the competitor Adidas retweeted the video, with a message saying: “Together, we are moving forward. Together, we are making changes.”
Floyd’s death on Monday was captured in a horrific now watched worldwide cellphone video in which a white police officer rested his knee on Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes until well after he remained motionless, while three other officers stood by.
“Don’t turn your back on racism. Don’t accept innocent lives taken from us. Don’t apologize any more. Don’t think it doesn’t affect you,” said Nike in the video, in which white words appear on a black background.
The campaign hardly marks the first time that Nike, whose slogan “Just Do It” is known worldwide, has embarked on social justice issues in the United States.
In September 2018, Nike made waves by running an advertising campaign starring American footballer and activist Colin Kaepernick, who was criticized for kneeling at the American national anthem in games to protest racism.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
