Apple’s Denise Young Smith Walks Back “White, Blue-Eyed Men” Diversity Remark
by Samara Lynn

October 16, 2017

Apple’s Denise Young Smith Walks Back “White, Blue-Eyed Men” Diversity Remark

After receiving backlash—particularly across social media—Apple’s vice president of diversity and inclusion, Denise Young Smith, has apologized for recent comments she made speaking at a conference earlier this month.

 

During a panel session on racial injustice held in Bogota, Columbia;  Young Smith said that she focuses on everyone as Apple’s diversity chief.

“Diversity is the human experience. I get a little bit frustrated when diversity or the term diversity is tagged to the people of color, or the women, or the LGBT,” she said on the panel as reported by Quartz.

Her next comments are what some took issue with. “There can be 12 white, blue-eyed, blonde men in a room and they’re going to be diverse too because they’re going to bring a different life experience and life perspective to the conversation.”

Twitter users quickly found fault with her statements:

However, there were also tweets of support for what she had said:

TechCrunch  obtained an internal Apple email in which Young Smith apologizes to her colleagues:

I have always been proud to work for Apple in large part because of our steadfast commitment to creating an inclusive culture. We are also committed to having the most diverse workforce and our work in this area has never been more important. In fact, I have dedicated my twenty years at Apple to fostering and promoting opportunity and access for women, people of color and the underserved and unheard. 

Last week, while attending a summit in Bogota, I made some comments as part of a conversation on the many factors that contribute to diversity and inclusion. 

I regret the choice of words I used to make this point. I understand why some people took offense. My comments were not representative of how I think about diversity or how Apple sees it. For that, I’m sorry. 

More importantly, I want to assure you Apple’s view and our dedication to diversity has not changed.  

Understanding that diversity includes women, people of color, LGBTQ people, and all underrepresented minorities is at the heart of our work to create an environment that is inclusive of everyone. 

Our commitment at Apple to increasing racial and gender diversity is as strong as it’s ever been. I’m proud of the progress we’ve made, but there is much work to be done. I’m continually reminded of the importance of talking about these issues and learning from each other. 

Best,

Denise

Young Smith is Apple’s first diversity and inclusion officer. Young Smith was appointed to that position in May of this year. Previously she led Human Resources at Apple and also helped the company grow its retail business worldwide.

 


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