When it comes to American companies that have been around for decades, it may be easier to keep track of those without ties to racist, discriminatory, and otherwise inhumane practices than to list all of the ones that do have ties. Some, however, take the discriminatory cake. Here are four companies that should be at the very top of your list of businesses to boycott in 2020:
Amazon
Not only does Amazon reportedly treat its employees like the gum stuck on the bottom of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ shoes, but the delivery-based company is also accused of recklessly polluting black and brown communities and utilizing databases that allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement to monitor and detain immigrants, according to The Guardian.
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An Amazon worker who organized 600 employees to protest conditions at the company said workers are treated so poorly they are “scared to drink water, scared to take breaks to use the restroom,” according to a tweet Felicia Martinez, a Brooklyn mother, shared on Cyber Monday.
NFL
The football league’s treatment of Colin Kaepernick, the free-agent quarterback practically banned from the sport for taking a knee during the national anthem to protest police brutality, is only the most publicized example of injustice the NFL has promoted and continues to stand in support of. There were only two people of color among the NFL's principal owners in 2018, according to CNN. The NFL, which employs mostly black athletes, also offers its players the least money of any major sports league and has the most subpar retirement benefits, according to The Grio.
Walmart
Really, this one almost goes without saying. Walmart has been held to task for everything from inadequate pay and harsh working conditions to actually locking up African American hair and beauty products in order to prevent theft.
Although store managers make an average of $175,000 a year, many employees still are earning wages below the poverty line, The Washington Post reported in May. Add numerous racial discrimination complaints to the overflowing list of reasons to stop giving your hard-earned coins to this mega-corporation.
Wells Fargo
The banking industry, in general, has a long history of discriminatory practices and policies used to disenfranchise minorities. Look no further than a racist recording captured at an Arizona JPMorgan Chase branch as proof. Still, over the years Wells Fargo has practically become a synonym for discriminatory lending, with the company paying its way out of multiple lawsuits.
Seven years ago, the financial services company settled a $175 million lawsuit accusing the company of charging black and Latino customers higher rates on mortgages, according to Reuters. For some businesses, that might trigger a universal overhaul of its practices, employment decisions, and policies. Apparently, that’s not how Wells Fargo operates.
Just last year, the city of Sacramento accused the bank of a "long-standing pattern and practice" of illegal lending that lowered home values, upped foreclosures, and capped property tax revenue used to fund schools in minority communities, according to CNN. Need another example? The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on Dec. 16 that the company is set to pay Philadelphia $10 million to settle a lawsuit alleging lending discrimination targeting minorities. As the proverb goes, fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice ...