CONFEDERATE FLAG BANNED BY U.S. MARINES

The directive, which was announced on Friday, details what is prohibited in Marine installations, office buildings and work spaces.

The U.S. Marine Corps on Friday issued detailed directives about removing and banning public displays of the Confederate battle flag at Marine installations with a list that extended to such things as mugs, posters, bumper stickers and more. 

"Current events are a stark reminder that it is not enough for us to remove symbols that cause division - rather, we also must strive to eliminate division itself," said by the Commandant of the Marine Corps, General David H. Berger.

COMPANIES SPEAKING OUT SINCE GEORGE FLOYD DEATH AND PROTESTS

Many businesses are taking a step back to make way for more important issues amidst protests around the nation after the death of George Floyd, the 46-year old Black man who died after a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly 9 minutes in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

McDonald's, Amazon, Target, Apple & Starbucks are some of the huge companies that have released statements in support of justice and racial equality.

Starbucks and other large brands have held open discussions with employees to discuss the protests and racism in the workplace.

Some companies made statements, some vague and others making monetary donations to various foundations and causes.

What are other companies doing?

• Bank of America pledged $1 billion to help communities dealing with economic and racial inequality.

• Facebook is contributing $10 million toward groups working on racial justice.

• Cisco is donating $5 million to various organizations.

• Shopify said it will commit $1 million to three different organizations.

Companies both large and small are halting normal operations to voice their support or donate to organizations.

BLACKOUT TUESDAY

A growing number of entertainment companies are joining the Blackout Tuesday initiative on June 2 in a message of solidarity in response to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

An image calling for a “Blackout” on Tuesday, along with the hashtag #TheShowMustBePaused, began circulating on social media on Friday. It called for Tuesday to be used as “a day to disconnect from work and reconnect with our community” via “an urgent step of action to provoke accountability and change.”

Many social media pages have blackened out but others say it's still important to write and post important stories to make sure people are informed about current matters.