By Iman Milner
Byron Allen is never afraid to use his voice on behalf of our community, especially against corporate giants like McDonald’s.
On Wednesday, the founder, chairman, and CEO of Allen Media Group, took out an ad in The Chicago Tribune to formally address the racist practices at McDonald’s and new stakeholder Carl Icahn, who invested in the fast-food chain in an effort to eradicate inhumane conditions for pigs used in their meals. The ad highlighted several lawsuits filed against the company by Black franchisees, former executives, employees, and the Black former head of global security. Allen called on Icahn to “fight against [McDonald’s] blatant racism against Black America.”
The lawsuits alleged multiple documented instances of racist treatment, according to the ad. Black franchisees said that the popular fast-food giant set them up to fail by only placing them in communities with low incomes and high crime rates. Former executives also alleged that they were subject to hostile and racist treatment. The ad said that McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski is accused of sending texts to the former Chicago mayor blaming the deaths of two Black and Latinx children on their own parents, as well as reprimanding the former Black head of security for the company after he “contradicted him in a public forum,” according to theGrio.
“It is time for America, especially Black America, to hold McDonald’s CEO Kempczinski and their Board of Directors fully accountable for the racist atrocities they have committed against Black America,” Allen told theGrio. In 2021, two of Allen’s companies sued the chain for $10 billion for racial discrimination alleging that of the approximate $1.6 billion McDonald’s spent in 2019 for television advertising in the U.S., only about $5 million was spent with Black-owned media companies. “Carl, I invite you to join us and other investors and civil rights leaders to ensure we stop the undeniable racism on the part of McDonald’s,” Allen said in the ad. “While your efforts to protect animal rights are commendable, please join us on the right side of history to end the horrible systemic racism against Black people by McDonald’s.”
