New in OS X: Get MacRumors Push Notifications on your Mac

Resubscribe Now Close

Apple Now Accepting Donations to Southern Poverty Law Center Following Charlottesville Protests

Monday August 21, 2017 4:55 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
As planned, Apple is now accepting donations to the Southern Poverty Law Center, an Alabama-based non-profit organization, through iTunes. The donation prompt was spotted by Twitter user setteBIT.


iTunes users in the United States can donate $5, $10, $25, $50, $100, or $200 with a credit card tied to their account. Apple will transfer 100 percent of the proceeds to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which says it is dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry, protecting civil rights, and seeking justice.

Following a "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, where white nationalists and supremacists clashed with counter-protestors over the removal of a Robert E. Lee statue, Apple said it will be making contributions of $1 million each to the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League.

Apple said it will also match two-for-one its employees' donations to those and several other human rights groups, between now and September 30.

Apple has also disabled Apple Pay support on websites selling white nationalist and hate group apparel and accessories. Apple's guidelines prevent Apple Pay from being used on sites promoting hate, intolerance, and violence based on race, age, gender, gender identity, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation.

Apple CEO Tim Cook's full letter to employees was obtained by MacRumors:
Team,

Like so many of you, equality is at the core of my beliefs and values. The events of the past several days have been deeply troubling for me, and I’ve heard from many people at Apple who are saddened, outraged or confused.

What occurred in Charlottesville has no place in our country. Hate is a cancer, and left unchecked it destroys everything in its path. Its scars last generations. History has taught us this time and time again, both in the United States and countries around the world.

We must not witness or permit such hate and bigotry in our country, and we must be unequivocal about it. This is not about the left or the right, conservative or liberal. It is about human decency and morality. I disagree with the president and others who believe that there is a moral equivalence between white supremacists and Nazis, and those who oppose them by standing up for human rights. Equating the two runs counter to our ideals as Americans.

Regardless of your political views, we must all stand together on this one point — that we are all equal. As a company, through our actions, our products and our voice, we will always work to ensure that everyone is treated equally and with respect.

I believe Apple has led by example, and we’re going to keep doing that. We have always welcomed people from every walk of life to our stores around the world and showed them that Apple is inclusive of everyone. We empower people to share their views and express themselves through our products.

In the wake of the tragic and repulsive events in Charlottesville, we are stepping up to help organizations who work to rid our country of hate. Apple will be making contributions of $1 million each to the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League. We will also match two-for-one our employees’ donations to these and several other human rights groups, between now and September 30.

In the coming days, iTunes will offer users an easy way to join us in directly supporting the work of the SPLC.

Dr. Martin Luther King said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.” So, we will continue to speak up. These have been dark days, but I remain as optimistic as ever that the future is bright. Apple can and will play an important role in bringing about positive change.

Best,
Tim
Southern Poverty Law Center operates offices in four U.S. states, including Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

Apple says iTunes Store credit cannot be used to make a donation. The fine print also says donations may not qualify for a tax deduction.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

[ 339 comments ]


Top Rated Comments

(View all)

Avatar
Starflyer
25 months ago
12 Ways The Southern Poverty Law Center Is A Scam To Profit From Hate-Mongering

http://thefederalist.com/2017/05/17/12-ways-southern-poverty-law-center-scam-profit-hate-mongering/
[doublepost=1503317259][/doublepost]The Insidious Influence of the SPLC
Its branding of ‘hate groups’ and individuals is biased, sometimes false—and feeds polarization.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-insidious-influence-of-the-splc-1498085416


How Did Maajid Nawaz End Up on a List of 'Anti-Muslim Extremists'? ('https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apple-now-accepting-donations-to-southern-poverty-law-center-following-charlottesville-protests.2062760/threads/apple-now-accepting-donations-to-southern-poverty-law-center-following-charlottesville-protests.2062760/#post-24916356')
“They put a target on my head.”

https://www.theatlantic.com/interna...ajid-nawaz-splc-anti-muslim-extremist/505685/ ('https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/10/maajid-nawaz-splc-anti-muslim-extremist/505685/')
Rating: 93 Votes
Avatar
827538
25 months ago
I could be wrong but aren't they quite a hateful borderline racist group? Why would Apple support this?

I wish Apple stayed out of politics.
Rating: 87 Votes
Avatar
brendu
25 months ago
I wish Apple wasn’t doing this. Not because I don’t support donating. I totally do. I just think this group in particular is too biased to be fair. They label people as part of hate groups for having religous beliefs that don’t line up with their world view. It’s sad that they are being treated as such a great cause when they have actually slandered people who aren’t “hateful” at all. If anything I would classify them as a hate group for the way they treat anyone right of center politically.
Rating: 80 Votes
Avatar
Starflyer
25 months ago

You guys would think Toys'R'Us was a left wing terrorist organization if Fox News told you it.


And you would believe Chick-Fil-A was a hate group if the SPLC said it.
Rating: 67 Votes
Avatar
crawfish963
25 months ago
Very disappointing. Apple needs to steer clear of politics like this. Look at CNN, ESPN, etc. to see what happens when you shove political agendas down people’s throats.
Rating: 55 Votes
Avatar
krause734
25 months ago
Tim Cook, Chief Executive Social Justice Warrior
Rating: 53 Votes
Avatar
Chupa Chupa
25 months ago
Grand. Standing. The SPLC has been taking donations for years. Anyone who wants to do so can go right to its site. Apple wants a piece of the "pat on the back" pie. When will Apple start taking donations for Tibet?
Rating: 45 Votes
Avatar
Chupa Chupa
25 months ago

Perhaps when Tibet is in America? Apple has never tended to get involved in foreign political situations.


When Apple chooses to become a Tibet-based corporation? In the meantime, as Apple is and has been a US company with a huge number of US employees and customers, it makes sense that Apple's first priority is addressing donations to organizations that primarily speak to issues that are US-based, affecting its employees and customers.

"The SPLC has been taking donations for years. Anyone who wants to do so can go right to its site."

Of course. And?

Apple has set up a system where its customers can easily contribute to an organization that many people are not familiar with. It's called raising awareness.

Hat tip to Apple and Mr. Cook for setting this up, particularly the two-for-one employee matching contributions to the SPLC and ADL.


Last I checked Apple was a multi-national company. It seems to want to be a SJW in America but kow-tow to oppressive governments where it needs to build marketshare. In my book that is called hypocrisy. You either hold a certain universal value or not. You don't pick and choose that value depending on where it can help and abandon where it will hurt.

Certainly that was Gandhi and MLK's approach.
Rating: 41 Votes
Avatar
Starflyer
25 months ago
FRC Shooter: I Targeted Them Because SPLC List Said They Were ‘Anti-Gay’

http://hotair.com/archives/2013/04/24/frc-shooter-i-targeted-them-because-splc-list-said-they-were-anti-gay/
Rating: 36 Votes
Avatar
Rogifan
25 months ago
SPLC is not non-partisan or a-political. They are a left wing organization and define “hate” groups through a left wing lens. Tim Cook trying to paint Apple as being non-partisan is laughable. Why now is it so important for Apple to speak out? Why didn’t we get this memo after a congressman was shot by a Bernie supporting nut job?
Rating: 31 Votes

[ Read All Comments ]