The tech giant will make donations of $1 million each to the SPLC and the ADL, Tim Cook said in a staff memo.
In a memo to employees, Apple CEO Tim Cook addressed the tragic events in Charlottesville over the weekend along with President Trump's controversial comments about the incident and vowed that the tech giant would strengthen its support for human-rights groups and inclusivity.
Cook said that recent events were "deeply troubling" for him and said he'd heard from Apple employees who were "saddened, outraged or confused," he wrote in the email obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.
He condemned the hatred on display in Charlottesville, which was the site of a white-nationalist rally on Friday night that turned deadly on Saturday.
"What occurred in Charlottesville has no place in our country. Hate is a cancer, and left unchecked it destroys everything in its path. Its scars last generations. History has taught us this time and time again, both in the United States and countries around the world," Cook wrote. "We must not witness or permit such hate and bigotry in our country, and we must be unequivocal about it. This is not about the left or the right, conservative or liberal. It is about human decency and morality."
He went on to tackle Trump saying that "both sides" were to blame for the weekend violence in Charlottesville.
"I disagree with the president and others who believe that there is a moral equivalence between white supremacists and Nazis, and those who oppose them by standing up for human rights," he wrote. "Equating the two runs counter to our ideals as Americans."
Cook said that Apple will continue to lead by example in matters of equality, inclusivity and human rights.
To that end, Apple will make contributions of $1 million each to the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League and will match two-for-one Apple employees' donations to these and other groups, between now and Sept. 30.
Cook has spoken out against Trump's executive orders on immigration and his decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord, but the CEO was also part of a tech group — including Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Google's Eric Schmidt and Microsoft's Satya Nadella — that met with the president at the White House in June to discuss various issues.
Read Cook's full memo below.
Team,
Like so many of you, equality is at the core of my beliefs and values. The events of the past several days have been deeply troubling for me, and I've heard from many people at Apple who are saddened, outraged or confused.
What occurred in Charlottesville has no place in our country. Hate is a cancer, and left unchecked it destroys everything in its path. Its scars last generations. History has taught us this time and time again, both in the United States and countries around the world.
We must not witness or permit such hate and bigotry in our country, and we must be unequivocal about it. This is not about the left or the right, conservative or liberal. It is about human decency and morality. I disagree with the president and others who believe that there is a moral equivalence between white supremacists and Nazis, and those who oppose them by standing up for human rights. Equating the two runs counter to our ideals as Americans.
Regardless of your political views, we must all stand together on this one point — that we are all equal. As a company, through our actions, our products and our voice, we will always work to ensure that everyone is treated equally and with respect.
I believe Apple has led by example, and we're going to keep doing that. We have always welcomed people from every walk of life to our stores around the world and showed them that Apple is inclusive of everyone. We empower people to share their views and express themselves through our products.
In the wake of the tragic and repulsive events in Charlottesville, we are stepping up to help organizations who work to rid our country of hate. Apple will be making contributions of $1 million each to the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League. We will also match two-for-one our employees' donations to these and several other human rights groups, between now and September 30.
In the coming days, iTunes will offer users an easy way to join us in directly supporting the work of the SPLC.
Dr. Martin Luther King said, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter." So, we will continue to speak up. These have been dark days, but I remain as optimistic as ever that the future is bright. Apple can and will play an important role in bringing about positive change.
Best,
Tim
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