Jesse Jackson targets HP, Apple, Twitter & Facebook in racial diversity campaign
Civil rights campaigner the Rev. Jesse Jackson is to lead a delegation to Hewlett-Packard’s annual conference as part of efforts to increase employment and start-up opportunities for minorities.
In a letter addressed to HP, Apple, Twitter & Facebook and others Jackson wrote: “Technology is supposed to be about inclusion, but sadly, patterns of exclusion remains the order of the day.”
Around 1 in 14 workers in the US tech industry have a black or Latino background, despite making up 13.1 and 16.9 per cent of the total US population according to the most recent statistics, a discrepancy which has riled Jackson.
Commenting on his unexpected guest HP executive vice president Henry Gomez said: “While we certainly agree that diversity is an important issue in corporate America, we're puzzled by Rev. Jackson's sudden interest in HP.
"Today, HP is the largest company in the world with both a female CEO and CFO, and nearly half of our leadership team and board of directors are women and minorities. Additionally, nearly 50 years ago, HP established the first minority business program in the United States."