Breaking Silence: Corporate Voices in Polarized Political Discourse

Abstract

Corporate participation in the public political sphere has drastically increased over the last decade, calling attention to the power and influence of corporate voices. To better understand this phenomenon, this paper focuses on corporations participating in the discussion of racism and inequality within the United States. This paper looks at firms’ discursive practices around race in June 2020 in response to George Floyd’s death. Using mixed methods, the paper examines the sequence of statements made by firms and how the content of these statements varied by company and with time. Findings indicate that early adopters use strategies to convey sincerity. Additionally, influence from stakeholders, ownership status, and previous participation in progressive activism have an effect on both the timing of firms’ responses, as well as the content of their statements. The paper provides a construct through which to examine whether a firm is being genuine in its sociopolitical efforts.