Jay Z Confirms Barneys Deal Is Still On After Racial Profiling Claims
Jay Z has announced that he will continue with his Barney's deal amid a racial profiling scandal, E! News reported Friday.
Jay Z, real name Shawn Carter, took to his website to declare that he would be proceeding forward with launch of his BNY SCC line for Barneys New York. The deal had come under protest as the department chain was accused of racially profiling their black customers. An online petition was created to pressure him to end the partnership. However, Jay Z said that he was in a unique position to make changes.
"I am in a unique position to use my voice to affect change to this disturbing issue," Jay Z said. "The easy position would have been to walk away and leave policy making to others hoping that someone addresses the problem. I will not leave the outcome to others. I will take this into my own hands with full power to recommend, review and revise policies and guidelines moving forward. I am choosing to take this head on."
Jay Z also stated that all of the proceeds from the deal would go to his Shawn Carter Foundation. It was originally set to only receive 25% of the funds.