Marriott's new CEO takes a stand against racism in first public comments
One week into his new job as chief executive officer of Marriott International, Anthony "Tony" Capuano issued his first public comments in a statement entitled "Stop Asian Hate."
Mr. Capuano's statement comes during a turbulent period for the United States, which has seen a rise in violent attacks against Asian-American people for no reason other than their race.
As reported by The New York Times, a 36-year-old man of Asian descenft was stabbed in Manhattan and was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. Elsewhere in New York, a man lobbed items at a mother and then violently threw her to the ground.
Mr. Capuano also refers to examples of community volunteers accompanying elderly Asian-Americans on errands in their neighborhoods due to fear of being targeted and even murders of those in the Asian-American community.
As CEO of the world's largest hotel chain, Capuano has chosen (rightly) to forcefully rebuke these inexcusable acts of injustice and has signaled to the world that Marriott stands firmly behind the Asian-American community -- and other marginalized communities throughout the world.
"I want to reiterate that Marriott International stands against racism. We believe that all people deserve to be treated with dignity and respected for their humanity and the distinct qualities that make them unique," said Capuano.
He goes on to list initiatives that Marriott is involved in to combat racism and bigotry throughout the country and world, saying, "As the United States faces this latest racism crisis, we are redoubling our 'welcome all' efforts – making sure our associates remember what it is we stand for and offering resources to them to make sure they are doing their part. We are also working with our long-time partner, the Asia Society, a leading educational advocacy and cultural understanding organization for Asian Americans, to support their efforts to build solidarity and rise up against hate. We will continue our efforts to advance hotel ownership among Asian American owners."
You can read Capuano's statement in full here.
In a time in which minority and marginalized communities are facing bigotry and violent attacks, it's heartening to see the new CEO of the world's largest hotel chain wield his platform to take a stand against these injustices and push his company to always strive to do what is right and just.