Microsoft is under fire after mural artist Shantell Martin leaked an email request the company sent her that insinuated the Black Lives Matter movement was a passing trend.
Martin is a well-known mural artist, famous for her black and white designs that have led her to work with stars like Kendrick Lamar.
Microsoft and advertising firm McCann approached Martin via email about making a mural in honor of the Black Lives Matter movement on June 3
The mural was intended to be put up on the Microsoft store located at 5th Avenue in New York City. The store is currently boarded up — as is much of Manhattan – because of the protests in New York over George Floyd's death at the hands of a police officer.
In the email request, a representative from McCann asked Martin if she could make the mural no later than Sunday June 7, as the movement would not be "relevant" after.
"Hoping to complete the mural while the protests are still relevant and the boards are still up, ideally no later than this coming Sunday," the email read.
Martin shared a screenshot of the email request to Twitter, slamming both Microsoft and McCann for implying the movement wouldn't be relevant after this weekend
—Shantell Martin (@shantell_martin) June 6, 2020
The email's implication that the Black Lives Matter movement is a news story that will soon become irrelevant is particularly insulting to demonstrators who have been working to highlight the systematic nature of racism and widespread issues with police brutality in the United States.
It's also worth noting that Martin's tweet comes as thousands continue to protest Floyd's death, with cities like Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia seeing their largest demonstrations to date this weekend.
Microsoft chief marketing officer Chris Capossela responded to Martin's tweet, apologizing for the "insensitive language" used in the email and asking the artist if she would be willing to connect to discuss the matter.
—Chris Capossela (@chriscapossela) June 6, 2020
Harris Diamond, the Chief Executive Officer of McCann, replied to Capossela's tweet and apologized as well, calling the email "flat out wrong."
—Harris Diamond (@HDiamond_McCann) June 6, 2020
In a statement to Insider, Martin said she felt it was important to share the email with her followers
Martin responded to Insider's request for comment via email:
"I'm not happy that I had to post this, but after a couple of days of going over it and thinking about it, I felt that it was really important to share. There are many layers to why it is wrong and we can start to make excuses about why or how this type of email came about, but the bottom line is it is unacceptable and a part of the problem. It also highlights how art and the work of artists is not valued but rather exploited consistently by agencies and companies without little thought. The points I made in the caption that accompanied the post are straightforward and hopefully something positive will come from this."
Many corporations have received backlash over their statements on the Black Lives Matter movement in recent weeks.
Supporters of the movement argue that companies are only voicing support for protesters because it's trendy, not because they are doing any substantial work to combat systematic racism, as Vox reported.
Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella recently issued a statement encouraging empathy to combat racism, as well as highlighted the company's work with the Criminal Justice Reform Initiative. Nadella has not yet announced any additional action the company would be taking to combat systematic racism or police brutality.
Microsoft and McCann did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
- Read more:
- Companies like Netflix, McDonald's, and Target are speaking out amid the George Floyd protests — and some are actually taking action
- Thousands of protesters took to Washington, DC, for the city's largest demonstration yet over George Floyd's death
- How the only 4 black CEOs who lead Fortune 500 companies are responding to George Floyd's death and the civil unrest in America
- Thousands of protesters marched across San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, temporarily shutting it down to traffic
