Gowling Gaffe
This Black History Month, Gowling publicly patted itself on the back for having an employee with a kid with a Black friend.
Yes, you read that correctly.
The international/Bay St law firm tried halfheartedly backtracking after things backfired, but the damage is done.
Ultimately, someone in authority knowingly signed off on this malarkey, quite possibly overriding internal concerns. (I refuse to believe that not a single person saw a potential issue.) Dr. Roderique helpfully unpacks why the posts suck, for anyone confused about the outcry.
The official firm response left much to be desired. It’s completely disingenuous to suggest the statements don’t reflect company values... I mean, the posts came from employees, were emblazoned with the corporate logo, and got posted on official social media channels.
In fact, the don’t-take-my-words-or-actions-at-face-value-because-I-didn’t-mean-it “apology” is itself problematic. As though ignorance or obliviousness matters in the face of harm.
I find it extra hilarious the Instagram Stories campaign was seemingly launched on February 22, a mere six days before the end of Black History Month. And February is already the shortest month in the calendar year!
As you can imagine, the Stories weren’t up on Instagram for long.
h/t Naomi Sayers for keeping receipts
Personally, I’m flabbergasted that such a diverse firm could screw up so royally! /s
Kudos to @ShaniOcq for putting this on everyone’s radar:
P.S. This thread is about Gowling WLC because of their Michael Scott-level gaffe. But performative wokeness is endemic in the legal profession. What firms don’t realize or care to understand is that WE SEE RIGHT THROUGH YOU.
P.P.S. This is speculation, but I’m guessing OP’s grandma would have had a lot of other choice adjectives to describe Daniel apart from “well brought up.”