Amazon Takes Heat for Chicken and Waffles Juneteenth Celebration at Chicago Warehouse

Monica Nickelsburg, GeekWire
Monica Nickelsburg is GeekWire’s Civic Editor, covering technology-driven solutions to urban challenges and the intersection of tech and politics. Before joining GeekWire, she worked for The Week, Forbes, and NBC. Monica holds a BA in journalism and history from New York University. Follow her @mnickelsburg and read her stories on GeekWire.
Amazon Takes Heat for Chicken and Waffles Juneteenth Celebration at Chicago Warehouse
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Amazon warehouse workers in Chicago expressed outrage at a flyer advertising a chicken and waffles event to commemorate Juneteenth, a celebration of the end of slavery in the U.S.

An employee published a photo of the "insulting" flyer in a private Facebook group and CNBC obtained the image.


"We stand in solidarity honoring the black community by supporting local black businesses," the flyer says. "We are happy to share an authentic meal crafted by Chicago's Chicken + Waffles."

Some employees said Amazon should have made June 19 a companywide holiday to support black workers, as other tech companies like Twitter and Uber have.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos encouraged employees to reschedule meetings and "take some time to reflect, learn and support each other" on Juneteenth rather than canceling work altogether. Bezos said Amazon would offer "a range of online learning opportunities" throughout the day in an email to employees.

An Amazon spokesperson said that "the leader who put on this event had good intentions to honor Juneteenth by supporting a local small business owned by a member of the Black community."

"After receiving some feedback from team members at the site, they've since decided to remove the sign in question," the spokesperson said. The choice of restaurant and flyer were made by diverse local leadership, according to Amazon.

Bezos has been publishing messages of solidarity with the protestors to social media, including his responses to customers who are angry with Amazon's support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

But critics say the rhetoric doesn't always square with Amazon's policies. The ACLU and others are demanding Amazon stop developing products that aid in law enforcement. Amazon announced it will stop selling facial recognition technology to police for one year, but the company's Ring subsidiary continues to work closely with police departments across the country.

This story first appeared on GeekWire

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LA Tech Week: Goldhirsh Foundation and the Positive Effects of Technology

Decerry Donato

Decerry Donato is a reporter at dot.LA. Prior to that, she was an editorial fellow at the company. Decerry received her bachelor's degree in literary journalism from the University of California, Irvine. She continues to write stories to inform the community about issues or events that take place in the L.A. area. On the weekends, she can be found hiking in the Angeles National forest or sifting through racks at your local thrift store.

LA Tech Week: Goldhirsh Foundation and the Positive Effects of Technology
Photo taken by Decerry Donato

On Monday, Los Angeles-based philanthropic organization Goldhirsh Foundation hosted the Technology and Storytelling For Social Good panel at Creative Visions studio to kick off LA Tech week.

Tara Roth, president of the foundation, moderated the panel and gathered nonprofit and tech leaders including Paul Lanctot, web developer of The Debt Collective; Alexis Cabrera, executive director of 9 Dots; Sabra Williams, co-founder of Creative Acts; and Laura Gonzalez, senior program manager of Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI).

Each of the panelists are grantees of Goldhirsh Foundation’s LA2050, an initiative launched in 2011 that is continuously trying to drive and track progress toward a shared vision for the future of Los Angeles. Goldhirsh’s vision is to make Los Angeles better for all and in order to achieve their goal, the foundation makes investments into organizations, creates partnerships and utilizes social capital through community events.

The panelists shared how the work they are doing in each of their respective sectors uses technology to solve some of society's most pressing challenges and highlight the importance of tech literacy across every community.

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LA Tech Week Is Back! Here Are the Events We're Watching

Kristin Snyder

Kristin Snyder is dot.LA's 2022/23 Editorial Fellow. She previously interned with Tiger Oak Media and led the arts section for UCLA's Daily Bruin.

LA Tech Week Is Back! Here Are the Events We're Watching
Evan Xie

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MONDAY

LA Hardtech: Local Talent Meets CEOs: Want to see robots in action? This hardtech event will showcase product demos and feature conversations about all things aircrafts, satellites, electric vehicles, robots and medical devices. June 5 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in El Segundo.

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SUPERCHARGE LA: Access to Capital & Cocktails (LA TECH WEEK)

Are you excited for LA Tech Week's most anticipated event: SUPERCHARGE LA: Access to Capital & Cocktails? We can't wait to see you at 1212 Santa Monica on Wednesday, June 7th, from 6-10 p.m.

Get ready for an evening filled with networking, inspiration, and fun with special guests Grammy-winning singer and entrepreneur Miguel, Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler, and more!

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