The saga continues. McDonald’s is denying reports that hiring Travis Scott and J Balvin is a feeble attempt to distract from an ongoing racial discrimination lawsuit. Both international superstars, notably Men of Color, have been embroiled in controversy recently for agreeing to peddle the products.
Fellow musicians have been critical including the likes of NLE Choppa. The rapper, someone in the campaign’s target demographic, was vocal about the collaboration on Twitter.
McDonald’s has more to worry about other than receiving a lashing from famous rappers. A recent report from Vice alleges the current marketing campaign may be a plow from McDonald’s PR department. Why? With a series of lawsuits filed by Black executives and franchise owners, they allege they unnecessarily endure challenges working for the conglomerate.
The full report from Vice details McDonald’s various efforts to refute the claims. Noteworthy takeaways from the report include the fact that McDonald’s has a long-standing history of adversity within communities of color, exceeding health reasons. Multiple lawsuits have been filed from Black people in power in effort, all while the corporation released a polished video supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.
“[I] wonder if the decision to go forward with this collaboration was a response to not only the criticism on the part of Black franchisees for their treatment within the McDonald’s system but the pressures they have been facing as a result of claims of racial discrimination at the corporate headquarters,” says Marcia Chatelain, a professor of history and African American studies at Georgetown University. She is the author of Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America. “This had probably set up a process of collaborating with Travis Scott if it didn’t necessarily inspire it.”
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