Amazon has plans to double the number of Black leaders within the company.
The plan is to increase their number of Black leaders beginning at the end of the year and into 2021 and beyond, reports FOX Business.
“At Amazon, we’re constantly learning and innovating – and our long-term efforts in diversity and inclusion are no different,” says an Amazon spokesperson. “ As part of this work, we are setting aggressive goals in our ongoing effort to be a top employer for Black employees.”
According to FOX Business, the electronic commerce giant says that they will begin to make “increased investments and programming designed to grow Black leaders from within.”
Their first order of business is to “double the representation of Black Directors and Vice Presidents in 2020 and again in 2021.”
They also note that just last week, Amazon scored its biggest quarterly profit ever and the new efforts will take place through programs like its $700 million commitment to “upskilling” — the process of teaching employees new skills that will benefit and assist them in their work.
Other smaller pilots include the Black Employee Network Executive Leadership Development Program which aims to target and specialize training to help build Black leaders at the Director and levels above.
A spokesperson from Amazon says the company will require inclusion, equity, and diversity training for all employees to further push their commitment to ensure “inclusive language in software coding.”
This also includes the elimination of phrases like “blacklist/whitelist and master/slave” among others.
In the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, Amazon has also expressed its support through Amazon.com, on FireTV, and through Alexa utterances. Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos, also called out customers who raised concerns about the company’s stance on the movement.
