[toc]Gaming and hospitality giant MGM Resorts International is standing up for human rights and denouncing hate in the wake of a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, VA, that turned violent earlier this month, and last week’s terrorist attack in Barcelona, Spain, where 13 people were killed.
MGM Resorts International CEO Jim Murren sent a letter to employees last week affirming the company’s commitment to tolerance, respect and inclusion.
“The protection of human dignity, demonstrated in the form of tolerance and respect for all people, is the core of our identity,” the letter reads. “We strive to create workplaces and entertainment spaces that are welcoming, open and respectful to all kinds of people, regardless of disability, age, gender, race, ethnicity, religious preference, gender identity, or sexual orientation. This is the singular, fundamental belief that guides us every day.”
Murren also expressed an understanding that the tragic events of the past few weeks may have people feeling “overcome by hatred and gutted by violence, leaving open questions about our future — as a nation, a global society and even a human race.”
MGM stands in defiance of violence and bigotry
The letter goes on to say that, while the white supremacists who demonstrated in Charlottesville have a constitutional right to express their views, MGM and its employees must stand strongly in defiance of violence, bigotry and all threats to the right to equality.
Murren also wrote that MGM is committed to vigorously and zealously rejecting hate speech and hate-based actions.
In fact, MGM Resorts has also committed to matching employee donations to a number of civil rights groups.
The groups include:
- NAACP
- Anti-Defamation League
- Southern Poverty Law Center
- Human Rights Campaign
- Council on American Islamic Relations
- Asian Pacific American Advocates
- League of United Latin American Citizens
A copy of the letter was also forwarded to the Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper.
MGM is Nevada’s largest employer
MGM Resorts International is the largest employer in the state of Nevada, with more than 53,000 local employees. The company also owns and operates a number of casino resorts across the United States and around the world, including properties in Sanya, Hainan and Macau, China. However, MGM Resorts International’s largest casino and resort holdings are on the Las Vegas Strip where the company operates 13 properties.
MGM’s Nevada casino and resort properties include:
- Bellagio
- ARIA
- Vdara
- MGM Grand
- The Signature at MGM Grand
- Mandalay Bay
- Delano Las Vegas
- The Mirage
- Monte Carlo
- New York-New York
- Luxor
- Excalibur
- Circus Circus
MGM, which has its headquarters in Paradise, NV, is also undergoing a global expansion, developing MGM Springfield in Massachusetts and MGM COTAI in Macau. Plus, the company will soon be debuting its first international Bellagio-branded hotel in Shanghai, China.
Photo by Christine Ruddy / Shutterstock.com
