Denzel Skinner, 26, was fired from a Taco Bell in Ohio after working there for eight years, all due to a Black Lives Matter (BLM) mask.

He went viral, and protests were organized to protest his dismissal. This is an example of reducing employees’ voices to keep the company clean.  

In the United States, we value our amendments. The first amendment guarantees the right to free speech. When Taco Bell fired Skinner, they went directly against the rights we value as Americans. White supremacists and neo-Nazis are allowed to voice their opinions loudly, while companies fire employees who support civil rights movements. 

Many companies, such as Ben and Jerry’s, have actively spoken about the BLM movement. “The murder of George Floyd was the result of inhumane police brutality that is perpetuated by a culture of white supremacy, what happened to George Floyd was not the result of a bad apple,” the ice cream company stated. “It was the predictable consequence of a racist and prejudiced system and culture that has treated Black bodies as the enemy from the beginning.” 

Starbucks, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Uber and other big companies and organizations have also stated their support for the anti-police brutality movement.  

A local Grand Junction shop, Pablo’s Pizza, has also spoken on their political beliefs. 

“The inequities and cruelty that continue to exist in the United States have been laid bare before us in the past few months,” Paul Knaysi, owner of Pablo’s Pizza, said. “As humans, we should all care when our fellow humans are suffering and be open to the challenge of working together to overcome racism. We support Black Lives Matter.”

Many businesses are refusing to state political beliefs, not wanting to lose any customers. While this is fair, watching businesses take aside and run on morals is a refreshing experience. 

Watching businesses stand up for a civil movement is exhilarating. They could lose customers, which makes it so much more important that they are speaking out. Having such a big audience and using their voices is important for social change. 

The National Basketball League (NBA) has also voiced their opinions. While it is the players boycotting, the entire organization has stated that they are behind BLM. 

Athletes speaking out can be traced all the way back to 2016 when NFL player Colin Kapernick kneeled during the national anthem. While this trend does go further back, these two moments are the ones supporting BLM.  

Students are also taking a stand in where they choose to eat based on their political beliefs. “When it came out that Chick-fil-A supported conversion therapy, I definitely did not want to eat there,” Carly Bowles, a CMU junior and Radiologic Sciences major, said.  “My friends and I discussed McDonald’s Travis Scott meal and whether it supported BLM or not, or whether it was just for business.” 

Awareness of what businesses are being supported by buying from them is very important, especially if the change is going to be made.