GM denies racism claims by black media group

General Motors on Monday dismissed allegations of racism directed at CEO Mary Barra by a group of black-owned media executives pushing the auto company to increase advertising spending at minority-owned stores.

Weather Channel owner Byron Allen, rapper and media mogul Ice Cube and five others ran an ad for adulthood in the Sunday Detroit Free Press expressing frustration with how the automaker is spending its dollars advertising, claiming that GM only spends about 0.5% of its ad spend. advertising budget on publications belonging to minorities.

Efforts to meet Barra have been rebuffed, the group said, claiming that black media are victims of “systemic racism.” The group asked the CEO to meet with them or to resign.

Barra declined a request for comment.

The automaker “aspires to be the most inclusive company in the world, and that includes the way we allocate media spend. We have increased our planned spending with media that are both diverse and dedicated to the diversity of our family of brands, ”according to a statement issued by GM.

GM spokesman Pat Morrissey said GM was spending “a lot” over 0.5% on black-owned media.

He also noted some of the projects supported by the automaker. These include the Chevrolet division’s “Real Talk, Real Change” project, a project to encourage discussion about racing. Well-known black filmmaker Spike Lee was one of the main participants in the launch of the latest generation of Cadillac Escalade last year. And GM, Morrissey said, is also sponsoring a project on race issues called “More Than That With Gia Peppers.”

As with other media, automaker marketing manager Deborah Wahl has met Allen and other members of the black-owned media group “on several occasions,” according to GM. But the group wants more.

“We are requesting a one-hour Zoom meeting with you and several of your key board members and us, the largest black-owned media companies in America, so that we can resolve this very important issue and build a long-term partnership that benefits both parties. African-American drivers and consumers, ”the announcement reads.

Barra became the first female CEO of a major automaker in January 2015 and has made diversity a cornerstone of her tenure. Last week, the company appointed two new members to its board of directors: former Hewlett Packard CEO Meg Whitman and Mark Tatum, deputy commissioner and chief operating officer of the National Basketball Association. The board has become the first of all large companies with a majority of female directors.

But the ad that aired over the weekend positioned it as just a show.

“You stand on stage, after George Floyd died, saying, ‘Black Lives Matter’, when you refused to recognize us,” the advertisement says of Barra. “The very definition of systemic racism is when you are ignored, excluded, and you don’t have true economic inclusion.”

“Mary, we and others firmly believe that if you continue to hold the position that Black Owned Media does not deserve meaningful economic inclusion and we do not deserve to meet with each other, you should step down immediately,” said the ad.