Petition to Hugh Wiley and Bloomberg BusinessWeek

Hugh Wiley, Publisher
Bloomberg Businessweek

Dear Mr. Wiley,

This week your magazine published a vile and racially offensive cover. The cover image perpetuated the false narrative that greedy poor people and people of color fueled the housing crisis, and brought back Jim Crow-era racial caricatures of blacks and Latinos to drive the point home. The magazine represented a low point in both the racial and economic discourse.

Your subsequent non-apology apology – in which you expressed “regret” for the “strong reactions” the cover sparked, but not for the cover itself – made it clear that your magazine fails to recognize the gravity of these offensive images in the context of our history.

The final outrage is your magazine’s attempt to shift the blame to the Latino artist himself, sidestepping responsibility for any editorial decisions that led to this cover.

In light of these facts, the NAACP, National Council of La Raza and our partners around this country need to see:

1. An apology and acknowledgement of responsibility on behalf of the Businessweek editorial team.
2. A critical analysis, in print, of the misguided theory that poor people of color were a primary cause of the housing crisis, and
3. That Bloomberg Businessweek immediately institute a process to examine and address issues related to diversity and inclusion, including representation of communities of color in editorial and business management, overall employment, and editorial content.

Sincerely,

Thousands of Signers from Across the United States

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