Guitar Center on June 2 issued a statement about racial inequality and injustice. It is presented in its entirety below:
“Over the last several days, many across the country have united to demand justice for the senseless deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and too many more. This pain has been felt deeply across the nation. We recognize that pain and we stand with the Black community in the fight against racism, injustice and inequality.
Our company values diversity and inclusion among our core values. While we strive to live those values, we recognize that we have much to learn and a long way to go on this journey. We are at a crossroads where we must come together and be persistent in our efforts to make meaningful change.
Therefore, it is our personal commitment that we, at the Guitar Center Company, will take actionable steps to do our part in supporting the Black community and embracing diversity and inclusion both in our company and our communities. We will not tolerate racism.
Through our joys and challenges, music is our strength, our solace, our expression. It is a powerful force for good and a voice for change. We will increase our efforts with the Black artist and music community to continue to build lasting relationships, garner feedback on how we can improve, and build music programs so that more aspiring Black musicians can realize their dreams.
We wholeheartedly believe we have a responsibility to those who are impacted daily by societal inequality and injustice. We don’t have all the answers but we are committed to listening and doing the work to get to a more just world. We affirm our support of our Associates, our customers and our communities as we work together to stop inequality and injustice.”
Ron Japinga, President & Chief Executive Officer
Tim Martin, Chief Financial Officer
Jeff Gottlieb, President of Music & Arts
Wayne Colwell, EVP Stores
Karl Bracken, EVP Merchandising & Private Brands
Ravi Balwada, SVP Chief Technology Officer
Bob Buckborough, VP Ecommerce
Anne Buchanan, SVP Chief Human Resources Officer
Jeannine D’Addario, SVP Chief Marketing Officer
Todd Lyche, SVP Chief Data Officer
Michael Pendleton, SVP Chief Legal Counsel
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