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Corporations respond to Black Lives Matter movement

The way big companies are reacting to Black Lives Matter protests has come into focus.

The way big companies are reacting to Black Lives Matter protests has come into focus. Streaming site HBO Max has temporarily removed the film Gone With the Wind from its service, after criticism of its romanticised depiction of US slavery. And German sportswear giant Adidas has said it will fill at least 30% of its new positions with black and Latino people after being criticised for a lack of diversity. Barrington Reeves is a branding expert and chief executive of Too Gallus based in Glasgow, and tells us whether such commitments are likely to be the start of long lasting change, or a knee jerk reaction to losing customers. Also in the programme, amid the recent protests, the idea of reparations for historical slavery has been gaining momentum. We ask Bob Johnson, founder of Black Entertainment Television and RLJ Technologies whether it is fair to apply the concept of reparations to the current generation. Kenya has stirred up a storm by planning to tax gas used for cooking. Campaigners fear that will lead to an increase in the use of charcoal, which has been found to exacerbate breathing problems and is blamed for the destruction of forests. We get reaction from David Njugi, chief executive of the Clean Cooking Association of Kenya. Plus, women's football had positioned itself to capitalise on a bumper 2019, following a very successful Women's World Cup in France, attracting more than a billion viewers worldwide. But then coronavirus struck. We hear from Chelsea defender Anita Asante about a sense of injustice that despite being awarded the UK women's trophy, her team was unable to finish the season. Suzy Wrack, football writer for The Guardian, considers whether the model being pursued in the US, where women's football will be the first sport to return post-coronavirus, with new sponsorship deals, is one that could be replicated elsewhere. And Tatjana Haenni, who is in charge of women's football in Switzerland, but was FIFA's director of the women's game until 2017, discusses what more the world governing body could do for women's football.

(Picture: A Black Lives Matter protest in Washington DC. Picture credit: Getty Images.)

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27 minutes

Last on

Wed 10 Jun 2020 22:32GMT

Broadcast

  • Wed 10 Jun 2020 22:32GMT