How Tech Companies Honored MLK Day

The lack of diversity in Silicon Valley, as well as the technology industry in general, is a known issue that is receiving national attention only over the past year.

One highlight of this homogenous culture is the lack of honoring Martin Luther King, Jr.’s national holiday by closing company doors.

Reverend Al Sharpton pointed out the indifference with which companies like Apple treat the national holiday, while government offices are closed in observance.

But if companies like Apple don’t close during the holiday, who does?

Microsoft’s Floating Days

The Windows maker doesn’t close its doors during King’s birthday, but it gives employees the option to choose whether they want to celebrate the day.

According to Microsoft, the company gives employees two paid floating holidays a year, and finds that many employees use one of them on MLK Day.

“Beyond the floating holiday, over the last 10 years Microsoft has presented and webcast globally an annual program commemorating Dr. King’s legacy for employees and their families, and encourages employees to use it as a day of service in their local U.S. communities,” according to Microsoft.

Current Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, responsible for Microsoft’s current services-based strategy for growth, did mention Dr. King on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/satyanadella/status/557307711197425667″ target=”_blank” rel=”noopener
See how Apple honors Dr. King on the next page …

Apple Talks A Big Game

Apple has a history of associating its image with famous civil rights leaders and activists in its marketing campaigns. Dr. King’s image (along with people like Albert Einstein and Mahatma Ghandi) has been used in the company’s “Think Different” campaign. Unfortunately, Apple does not observe the holiday with a day off.

Instead, the company doubles

its monetary donation to charities from $25 to $50 for every hour its employees volunteer, according to Denise Young Smith, head of Worldwide HR at Apple. CEO Tim Cook tweeted multiple times about Dr. King’s legacy. Cook also claims to have a photo of the civil rights leader on his desk. Cook also mentions Dr. King in his essay about being a gay man.

Denise’s statement can be read below:

“On Jan. 19, the country will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. At Apple, we are deeply committed to Dr. King’s philosophy of equality for all people and share the dream he expressed so well 51 years ago. We challenge ourselves to live up to his ideals every day of the year. His vision has been a part of Apple from our earliest days when he was featured in the Think Different campaign and it remains as important as ever.

“As we reflect on the significance of Dr. King’s contributions, there is no greater way to celebrate his legacy than to serve the communities where we live and work. In his honor, we are doubling our Matching Gifts program for the time you volunteer from January 19 until the end of the quarter on March 28. This means for every hour you serve, we’ll contribute $50 to the eligible organization you’ve chosen. I encourage all of you to work with your managers to find time in your busy schedules, either as a team or as individuals, to serve.

“As we celebrate the diversity within our company, we are reminded of our commitment to the advancement of equality and human rights everywhere. Together, we can and will make a difference – and in that we honor Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream for a better world.”

See how companies like Facebook honor Dr. King.