Murren, MGM light the way in fight against hatred

Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017 | 2 a.m.

Last week, MGM Resorts International and its CEO, Jim Murren, took a stand for American values and for basic human decency by denouncing the violence in Charlottesville, Va., and pledging to match employee contributions to such civil rights organizations.

It was an uplifting gesture at a time when the nation was in particular need of one.

Murren suggested seven groups as being worthy of employees’ support, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Anti-Defamation League.

“You have my commitment that we will vigorously and zealously continue to reject hate speech and hate-based actions in any form,” Murren wrote to MGM employees, explaining that he felt compelled to speak up not only about both tragedy in Charlottesville and the deadly terrorist attack in Barcelona, Spain.

With 77,000 employees worldwide, MGM stands to make a staggering investment in civil rights advocacy, that most American of causes.

The commitment is especially inspiring in Southern Nevada given that approximately 45 percent of gaming sector employees are minorities. Many of those employees are recent immigrants with family members or close friends who are in the country without documentation and are aspiring to become citizens.

While others fanned the flames of division and racial hatred last week, Murren and MGM countered by trying to stamp out the fire and bring the nation closer together. It was an example of corporate and civic leadership at its finest.

In the struggle to do away with racial inequality and push neofascists, white supremacists and their ilk back into the dark fringes of our society, Murren and MGM are a guiding light for Nevadans and Americans coast to coast.