For 8 minutes and 46 seconds, a White officer kneeled on a Black man’s neck, killing him without cause, hesitation, or fear. George Floyd did not deserve this. No person does. And no one should ever have to experience that kind of racial injustice again.
Today, George Floyd was laid to rest. As the CEO at Chime, I can tell you we will not rest. We are outraged, and we are unified in our commitment to create change. Our team stands shoulder to shoulder with the Black community against racism and violence, and we are taking action to promote inclusivity and eliminate our biases.
I grew up in a city that was more than fifty percent Black, but as a White man I realize I don’t understand what it’s like to walk in a Black person’s shoes. Until this moment, I never fully recognized the lasting impact of our country’s history on Black individuals and families. I never grasped what it must feel like, every day, to be judged by the color of your skin. The violent symptoms of systemic racism were never made more horrifyingly clear than they are today.
I don’t have all the answers. None of us do. But I do know we have to enter the conversation with honesty and transparency. And I do know we have to go far beyond words. It’s time for tangible action, true accountability, and measurable changes. It’s time to join the fight.
At Chime, we tell you we have your backs and that comes from the heart. Our team recognizes we need to step up and do more for the Black community. Over the past several days, we have prioritized listening to our employees, our members, and our broader community. Our members shared powerful and heartbreaking stories on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter about the injustices that they experience every day. Our employees and members of our Afro-Chime Resource Group have shared their personal journeys and ideas. We’ve begun planning specific actions Chime can take to be an ongoing force for change, including partnerships with community organizations that are making a meaningful impact.
I am proud to share that Chime is donating $100,000 to the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), an organization that does the hard work of challenging racial and economic injustice and protecting basic human rights. This is a cause that we heard is important to many of you. My leadership team and I have also personally donated to EJI, and we are matching our employee donations to this charity. If you’d like to join us, we’ll match every member donation made to EJI from a Chime Visa® Debit Card up to a total of $150,000 in the month of June.
This is not a moment, this is a movement. George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Laquan McDonald, Tamir Rice, Walter Scott, Freddie Gray, Philando Castile, Sandra Bland, and too many others have not died in vain. They are not forgotten, and their lives have and will continue to mean something.
The world can change. Let’s all do our part to help.
Sincerely,
Chris Britt
Founder & CEO, Chime
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