Uber announces expanded initiatives to ‘stand with the Black community’

Uber announced several initiatives Thursday to “stand with the Black community” and demonstrate the company’s commitment to battling racial injustice.

“We know there is no easy solution to the problems we have faced for centuries,” said Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. “We also know that we need to devote our time, energy and resources toward making a difference. That’s why we’re making a number of commitments that we will uphold not just this week, but for years to come.”

On Sunday, the ride-share giant made a $1 million donation to the Equal Justice Initiative and Center for Policing Equity, two organizations devoted to equality for minorities.

Uber also vowed to support black-owned restaurants with no delivery fees for the remainder of the year and pledged to offer discounted rides to black-owned small businesses in the coming weeks.

You asked for a way to find Black-owned restaurants on Uber Eats. 🖤 We listened.

You can support and order from Black-owned restaurants across the US & Canada with a $0 Delivery Fee. See app for terms & availability. pic.twitter.com/J2CBMJMfXN

— Uber Eats #EatLocal (@UberEats) June 4, 2020

The San Francisco-based company will tie the pay of senior executives to the progress made on the company’s diversity goals and publish the results so “the public can hold us accountable.”

Additionally, Uber will expand skills training and education opportunities for drivers and delivery workers.

“We know this isn’t enough,” Khosrowshahi said. “It won’t be enough until we see true racial justice. But we plan to work day in and day out to improve, learn, and grow as a company.”

Uber’s expanded commitment comes as protests and riots take place across the country in the wake of the death of George Floyd, a Minneapolis man who was killed last week when a police officer knelt on his neck while in custody.

In a statement, Khosrowshahi recognized the death of Floyd and the impacts of institutional racism.

“I wish that the lives of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and countless others weren’t so violently cut short,” he said. “I wish that institutional racism, and the police violence it gives rise to, didn’t cause their deaths. I wish that all members of our Black community felt safe enough to move around their cities without fear. I wish that I didn’t have to try to find the words to explain all of this to my two young sons.”