Pokemon GO developer announces action against racism against blacks

In the official blog, Niantic, the developer of Pokemon GO, has announced part of its efforts as the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement to appeal for the elimination of racism against black people.

Taking action – Niantic
https://nianticlabs.com/blog/blacklivesmatter/

Since the murder of Mr. George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, protest against 'racism against blacks' and 'brutal police acts' has spread throughout the United States.

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Niantic, which started from Google's in-house startup, has also revealed the company's efforts in response to protests calling for the elimination of racial discrimination against black people. “We are witnessing an unprecedented level of opposition to systematic racism that oppresses billions of people around the world,” said John Hanke of the company. Similarly, I find the killings of people such as George Floyd, Armaud Arberry , Brenna Taylor , Tony McDade , Nina Pop , and finding the right words, emotions and actions to deal with them. I had a hard time,' he said. 'I need to take this opportunity to stand up as an organization.'

In addition, Mr. Hanke cites the following measures by using platforms such as Pokemon GO and thinking 'How should we achieve sustainable long-term change?'

・ Donate at least 5 million dollars (about 550 million yen) from revenue from ticket sales of Pokemon GO Festa 2020
Content that encourages a more diverse view of the world at half of the admission revenue of Pokemon GO Festa 2020, a real event planned for Pokemon GO on Saturday, July 25 and 26, 2020 ( Invest in development projects for games that specifically support black people. The other half is donated to an American non-profit organization that helps rebuild communities.

・ Donated 100,000 dollars (about 11 million yen) to Marsha P. Johnson Institute and held employee tournament of up to $ 50,000 (about 5.5 million yen)
American gay liberation activist, transgender activist and drag queen even there was Marsha · P · Johnson to Marsha P. Johnson Institute of citizens' movements organization that bears his name, for the reason to donate $ 100,000, Mr. Hanke 'Black transgenders continue to be killed at a higher rate than others,' he said. Niantic's Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) and Executive Leadership teams pay tribute to the Marsha P. Johnson Institute's BLM and LGBT Pride Month movements, saying, 'People most vulnerable to police atrocities and other crackdown systems. I believe it is right to make a donation to support

In addition, Niantic also announced efforts to combat both systematic racism and social injustice in both industry and community in order to adequately support black employees in society. The following six initiatives are listed.

・Development of D&I training program
・Strengthen efforts at Treehouse , an organization that promotes technology diversification by making education more accessible
・Expanding partnership with Gameheads , a non-profit organization that teaches children how to develop games
・Niantic employees are given 5 flex days a year to participate in game events
· Actively take accountability for all commitments
Take a public position in favor of the black community and deny white supremacism, racism and police atrocities

In addition, Niantic will also create opportunities for employees to learn about the BLM movement and apply to mentor Gameheads activities. In addition, the D&I team will organize opportunities for employees to organize activities such as recruiting participants and volunteers within the company.

“We can't just end up with these announcements,” Hanke said. “We need to keep up with them and make years of effort before we can get the impact we want. 'In the process, we look for more opportunities to deepen these initiatives.'