Activists greeted hundreds of BlackRock employees early on Valentine’s day by handing out chocolates and cards, with a hidden message inside.
BlackRock talks a big game about “social purpose” but in all their public communications and more importantly their actions, they continue to operate like they don’t have one themselves. As the world’s biggest owner of coal and all fossil fuels, we know they can do better, using their great financial resources and influence to ensure we all have assets – and a planet with people on it – in the future.
So on Valentine’s day a hardy crew of activists braved the cold New York morning to talk with more employees about how that could change. Set up outside BlackRock’s midtown headquarters, about a dozen people concerned about climate change showed up to hand out chocolates and Valentine’s cards to employees on their way into work.
Digital ads set up for the same morning encouraged them to come down to their lobby for free chocolate, and like usual their social media channels and hashtags were jammed.
Together they reached hundreds of BlackRock employees and thousands more online.
When employees got back to their desks, they might have noticed a hidden message inside the Valentine’s card: the Yes Men hoax letter of their boss, Larry Fink.
If they read the hoax letter that went viral a few weeks ago, they might have seen how reasonable it sounds!
