Mark Zuckerberg is not happy about certain employees’ behavior at Facebook headquarters. The company’s notorious signature walls — a cheeky nod to Facebook walls in general — are becoming ground central for a very political debate, and it seems that some folks are crossing out Black Lives Matter slogans and scrawling “all lives matter” in the process.
Zuckerberg, who has declared Facebook “a safe zone” for all races and religions, addressed his employees in a private memo, which was acquired in screencap form by Gizmodo. Zuckerberg references a previous directive (delivered at a company meeting) to end this “disrespectful” behavior. He says the company is now investigating to see who has defied his very clear orders. Here are a few compelling excerpts from his memo:
“There are specific issues affecting the black community in the United States, coming from a history of oppression and racism. ‘Black lives matter’ doesn’t mean other lives don’t — it’s simply asking that the black community also achieves the justice they deserve.
“We’ve never had rules around what other people can write on our walls — we expect everybody to treat each other with respect. Regardless of the content or location, crossing out something means silencing speech, or that one person’s speech is more important than another’s. Facebook should be a service and a community where everyone is treated with respect.”
Facebook has been criticized for the lack of diversity within its employee force and has taken baby steps to address the issue. Zuckerberg means business, and he closes by asking employees to attend an upcoming town hall to learn more about the Black Lives Matter movement. The rest of the memo can be read here.
(Via Gizmodo)