• Home
  • News
  • Fortune 500
  • Tech
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
NewslettersraceAhead

George Clooney “saddened” by Nespresso’s alleged use of child labor

Ellen McGirt
By
Ellen McGirt
Ellen McGirt
Down Arrow Button Icon
Ellen McGirt
By
Ellen McGirt
Ellen McGirt
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 28, 2020, 1:00 PM ET

A new tool to track Latinx inclusion in the Fortune 100, George Clooney is sad, the Marines ban the Confederate flag, and a viral video highlights the disproportionate punishment of Black kids in school.

But first, here’s your week in review, in Haiku.

“Call me Harry,” he
smiled, becoming the hero
we didn’t know we

needed. In a world
of Hot Pockets heiresses,
always Be The Good.

If you can’t be good,
at least try to be sorry,
and at the very

least, wash your hands. In
a world of hate and fear, hope
can be hard to find.

Take a breath. Look up!
We’ve a new moon in tow! Let’s
name her Katherine.

Wishing you a hopeful and stellar weekend.

Ellen McGirt
@ellmcgirt
Ellen.McGirt@fortune.com

On Point

George Clooney “saddened” by Nespresso’s alleged use of child labor The actor, who has been the face of the coffee brand worldwide, was reacting to a media report that alleges the company had been sourcing coffee from Guatemalan farms using child labor. Nespresso said they have stopped all coffee purchases from the entire region until they can confirm that child labor isn’t being used; Clooney asked the British investigative documentary program Dispatches to stay on the story. “Having grown up working on a tobacco farm from the time I was 12, I’m uniquely aware of the complex issues regarding farming and child labor,” says Clooney. “That’s why I joined the Sustainability advisory board of Nespresso seven years ago along with the Rainforest Alliance, Fair Trade International, and the Fair Labour Association among many others with the goal then, as it remains to this day to improve the lives of farmers.”
People

The Latino Corporate Directors Association is putting corporate boards on notice The group that’s dedicated to improving Latinx representation on corporate boards has launched a new tool to highlight the issue. It’s new, interactive Latino Board Tracker shows that of 1,000 largest companies in the Fortune cohort, some 75% have no Latinx board members, seven have more than two Latinx board members of any gender, and five have more than one Latina board member. The list is current as of year-end 2019. The company with the highest representation are based in Puerto Rico and Florida, not surprisingly. But one retail titan is a true standout. Can you guess which one?
Associations Now

The Confederate flag is banned from all Marine Corps installations The order issued by Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger appeared online yesterday, the directive requires senior staff to ensure the removal of all symbols of the Confederate States of America from all Marine installations. All branches of the military have struggled with the cognitive dissonance of unresolved history now amplified by the modern white supremacy movement. One example: Ten Army bases are still named for Confederate generals. In the past few years, Marines have been investigated or discharged for their associations with alt-right groups, including one Lance Corporal who was dismissed following his arrest for assaulting counter-protesters at the August 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Va.
Task and Purpose

On Background

Today in Black History… As we say goodbye to the best month of the year, I stand in tribute to Phonte, one half of the rap duo Little Brother, and a damn funny man. Every day this month, he tweeted out an “unsung hero” of Black History, based on the kinds of down-home trailblazing behavior that helps you understand exactly where you come from. “Today in Black History we celebrate David 'Sonny Boy' Pettiford, recognized as the first father to shake up water in an empty bottle of Tussin,” he tweeted on Feb. 23. “Today in Black History we celebrate Stanleyetta Hawkins, the first child to be named by a petty Black father who wanted a son,” came on Feb 20. This one —“Today in Black History we celebrate the life of Kenny Ray Littleton, the first man to be brutally murdered for drying his hands on a decorative towel”— slayed me. A hilarious reminder that I truly am the dream of my ancestors, and so are you.
@Phonte

Predicting conflict on diverse teams This case study on conflict and negotiation focuses on “the faultlines” that occur between people when diverse groups split themselves into “homogenous subgroups according to demographic characteristics,” like race. Researchers observed strong faultlines (and dysfunctional conflict) between a negotiation role-playing team made up of two white men in their 40s and two African-American women in their 20s. But when demographic diversity was broader—as observed in a team comprised of one white man, one Asian man, one Hispanic woman, and one African-American woman, all in their 30s—conflict diminished. But what really made a difference were groups comprised of people with distinct “information-based” diversity, such as work experience or subject matter expertise. 
Harvard Law School, Program on Negotiation

The hidden history of racism in atomic research European scientists fleeing Adolf Hitler’s rise flocked to the U.S. in the 1940s. Many joined the Manhattan Project and the quest to create atomic weaponry. African-American scientists were welcomed by the refugees in facilities up north, but when the Oak Ridge, Tenn. lab was constructed in the Jim Crow South, black scientific talent was no longer allowed to do the work. Says a University of Chicago professor, the European scientists were shocked. "Many were foreign-born and so the whole idea of discrimination against Blacks was repugnant.” Click through for the inspiring story of J. Ernest Wilkins Jr., the Black prodigy who worked with Enrico Fermi at the famous Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory, before his research moved south without him.
Knox News

Tamara El-Waylly produces raceAhead and manages the op-ed program.

Quote

“We’ve had comments on our posts...saying ‘I have been bullied at work because I wear hoops or because I am too Latina.’ For people who thrive in the corporate environment, I would say, find that community that you’re lacking within your corporate job outside and find mentors who will help you show up every day of being unapologetic about who you are."

—Ana Flores, founder of the #WeAllGrow Latina Network

About the Author
Ellen McGirt
By Ellen McGirt
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Newsletters

NewslettersMPW Daily
Female exec moves to watch this week, from Binance to Supergoop
By Emma HinchliffeDecember 5, 2025
3 days ago
NewslettersCFO Daily
Gen Z fears AI will upend careers. Can leaders change the narrative?
By Sheryl EstradaDecember 5, 2025
3 days ago
NewslettersTerm Sheet
Four key questions about OpenAI vs Google—the high-stakes tech matchup of 2026
By Alexei OreskovicDecember 5, 2025
3 days ago
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg adjusts an avatar of himself during a company event in New York City on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021. (Photo: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
NewslettersFortune Tech
Meta may unwind metaverse initiatives with layoffs
By Andrew NuscaDecember 5, 2025
3 days ago
Shuntaro Furukawa, president of Nintendo Co., speaks during a news conference in Osaka, Japan, on Thursday, April 25, 2019. Nintendo gave a double dose of disappointment by posting earnings below analyst estimates and signaled that it would not introduce a highly anticipated new model of the Switch game console at a June trade show. Photographer: Buddhika Weerasinghe/Bloomberg via Getty Images
NewslettersCEO Daily
Nintendo’s 98% staff retention rate means the average employee has been there 15 years
By Nicholas GordonDecember 5, 2025
3 days ago
AIEye on AI
Companies are increasingly falling victim to AI impersonation scams. This startup just raised $28M to stop deepfakes in real time
By Sharon GoldmanDecember 4, 2025
4 days ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Real Estate
The 'Great Housing Reset' is coming: Income growth will outpace home-price growth in 2026, Redfin forecasts
By Nino PaoliDecember 6, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
AI
Nvidia CEO says data centers take about 3 years to construct in the U.S., while in China 'they can build a hospital in a weekend'
By Nino PaoliDecember 6, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
The most likely solution to the U.S. debt crisis is severe austerity triggered by a fiscal calamity, former White House economic adviser says
By Jason MaDecember 6, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon says Europe has a 'real problem’
By Katherine Chiglinsky and BloombergDecember 6, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Big Tech
Mark Zuckerberg rebranded Facebook for the metaverse. Four years and $70 billion in losses later, he’s moving on
By Eva RoytburgDecember 5, 2025
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Politics
Supreme Court to reconsider a 90-year-old unanimous ruling that limits presidential power on removing heads of independent agencies
By Mark Sherman and The Associated PressDecember 7, 2025
16 hours ago
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.