THE BLACKFACE AWARD GOES TO: LOUIS VUITTON (owned by LVHM)
Roep de GrootGraaierij van de BLACKFACE/ZWARTE PIET bedrijven en multinationals tot een halt! Als ze niet willen luisteren moeten ze maar in de portemonnee voelen.
Wat kunt u zelf doen: Kopieer de onderstaande tekst, plak in een email, onderteken (alias mag ook),zend naar:
Bernard Arnault, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (ook oa chairman van Dior)
Pierre Godé, Vice Chairman of LVMH
Adres Headquarters LVMH – Direction de l’environnement 24-32 rue Jean Goujon 75008 Paris, France Tél. : 33 (0)1 44 13 22 22 E-mail : [email protected]
U kunt ook gebruiken maken van dit contactformulier op de site van LVMH klik op de envelop rechts onderin, knip en plak daar de inhoud van de brief. http://www.lvmh.com/investor-relations/shareholders/contact
Bernard Arnault and Pierre Godé can also be reached at: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100004855426826 (B.Arnault)
Dear Mr Bernard Arnault and Mr Pierre Godé,
Given the Louis Vuitton brands unique public image and standing one would consider Louis Vuitton a brand that takes its responsibility when it comes to social and human rights issues serious.
Therefore we would politely like to bring the following to your attention.
A major Dutch department store called De Bijenkorf annually decorates it’s shops with the the Dutch blackface-character "Zwarte Piet” (Black Pete) at the start of the Dutch holiday Season. De Bijenkorf is a prolific retail POS for the LVMH brand. The racist Black Pete character is prominently featured at De Bijenkorf and is offensive to international tourists, people of African descent in general and a growing number of Dutch locals who frequent this department store. Also note: many people of African descent in the Netherlands originate from countries that were Dutch colonies where chattel slavery was common practice.
Recently a Dutch court, the Dutch Human Rights Council and the UN Working Group of Experts on Peoples of African Descent have concluded that the blackface character is a racist caricature, confirming negative stereotypes of black people.
De Bijenkorf is aware of these developments. But is, despite anti-racism protests in the Netherlands, in no way inclined to remove the racist blackface character from their stores. Any use of blackface, no matter the context, is racist in nature. Even when ignorant of its racist historical origins, the use of blackface cannot be excused or condoned.
To add insult to injury, prolific celebrity Kanye West criticized Louis Vuitton, amongst others in the fashion industry, regarding “lack of diversity.” These developments, and furthermore, the De Bijenkorf’s heavy use of racist blackface imagery reflect negatively on the LVMH brand.
We are calling on your social responsibility that, while your products are being sold in this store, you speak out against Black Pete. We trust that, given Louis Vuittons unique public image and standing, the LVMH brand does not support blackface or condones racist expressions by selling its products in a store that prominently features this racist stereotype. We therefore appeal to you to urge the De Bijenkorf management to refrain from decorating the stores with this blackface character and to also publicly distance yourself from such racist imagery and racism in general.
We appreciate your proactive approach and look forward to a timely response.
Note: We have also brought the issue to the attention of Selfridges, the parent company residing in the UK. Simultaneously we are addressing the companies who affiliate themselves with the Bijenkorf to also take an anti-racism stand.
For more information about Black Pete: http://www.stnicholascenter.org/pages/ zwarte-piet/#i_4487