Lately, there are so many stories of Black students being humiliated in schools that it's hard to keep up. Whether it's a Yale grad being accosted by police after a white student called them on her for napping in her common room dorm, or Black students being forcefully yanked off the stage at their graduation ceremony, enough is enough.

The same can be said of businesses in the country. The video of a Black woman getting thrown onto the ground in an Alabama Waffle House, or two Black men being arrested in a Starbucks while waiting for a friend, or a group of Black women members of a golf club being questioned by police for playing golf are not unique experiences when you are Black in America.

However, we have the power to demand that corporations and businesses put an end to these humiliating and dehumanizing experiences through campuses and stores committing to #FreeToBe. A commitment to #FreeToBe is a commitment to ending racial bias and the frivolous calling of police on Black consumers that puts Black lives at risk.

The Black dollar is powerful in America and annually brings in 1.2 trillion dollars to the economy, yet Black people are frequently not respected in the stores and brands they support. We must make corporations and businesses address the devastating impacts of racial profiling on their premises and on student campuses. 

Dignity is a human right and corporations, schools, restaurants and business have a responsibility to create a culture where everyone feels safe and welcome. Committing to #FreeToBe is a necessary step towards corporate and academic accountability. Demand that businesses commit to #FreeToBe today.

Here is the Petition:

Black people don't deserve to be racially profiled in schools or in stores. If you want our money, we demand our dignity.

Black people represent 1.2 trillion dollars in spending power annually yet we are not treated as if our lives matter in stores and places where we patron. It’s time to take a stand: if corporations want our business, and if schools wants our support,  they must make a greater commitment to combating racial bias inside of their stores and on their campuses. Pledging to #FreeToBe means a commitment to combating racial bias inside and out, eliminating the needless calling of police and harassment of Black students and patrons.

The culture of wantonly and frivolously risking the lives of Black people who only want to access the same services as everyone else can and must end. An intervention is needed when it comes to protecting the dignity of Black people. Black people deserve to know that they will not be accosted by police or harassed by staff because of racist stereotypes and tropes. We deserve a commitment to #FreeToBe.

If brands want our continued support, they must make a greater commitment to justice and equal treatment for all. Together, we have the power to change the often humiliating consumer experience for Black people to one of dignity and safety, to one of where everyone is #FreeToBe themselves.