By Glory Aug, 20, 2020 Technology

Pinterest has appointed the first Black member of its board of directors after allegations of racism were made against the social media network.

On Monday, the company officially appointed Andrea Wishom, president of Skywalker Holdings. In a press release, the Pinterest CEO and co-founder Ben Silbermann, was quoted, describing Wishom as a “passionate advocate for building a company culture of respect, integrity, inclusion, and support.” He said that those were key areas Pinterest needed to improve.

In response to her new appointment as a member of Pinterest’s board, Wishom said she had been a fan of the social network since 2011, and it was a platform that helps people achieve their goals and dreams.

“Part of meeting this moment is looking outside the expected and bringing different perspectives to the table,” Wishom said. “There are real challenges to address, and that responsibility is not lost on me. I’m committed to listening and sharing my perspective and providing guidance as Pinterest continues to make positive strides forward.”

While Pinterest has taken a step to show support for the black community, some of its former employees and employees have staged a virtual protest against the company. The protest was connected to gender and racial discrimination.

In June and July, the social media network was accused of racism and poor pay by former employees, Ifeoma Ozoma and Aerica Shimizu Banks. Several other employees who chose to remain anonymous told Washington Post that Black employees were mistreated by their white colleagues. They all stated different instances where Blacks were mistreated by white colleagues and executives.

In a petition written by Pinterest’s workers, they said the cases were not “isolated cases.” Rather, they represent “an organizational culture that hurts all Pinterest workers” and keeps them “from achieving” their “mission of bringing everyone the inspiration to create a life they love.”

“We recognize that Pinterest has been a leader in diversity and inclusive hiring, with the diversity goals for new hires. It’s become clear that this is not enough, and that the diversity goals need to apply from the top down, not just the bottom up. Not only will diverse and inclusive leadership prevent discrimination and harassment among workers, it will help us build a product that is relevant on a global scale.”

In addition, the employees have also demanded complete transparency about promotion levels, as well as retention. They have also demanded a compensation package for all those that were mistreated.

Tags: Pinterest First Black Board Member Racism

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