Apple CEO Tim Cook called on people to pay attention to the issue of equality in a recent awards speech.
Cook spoke about equal rights in the workplace, as he accepted a lifetime-achievement award from his alma mater, Alabama's Auburn University.
According to Mashable, the issue Cook addressed again in a rare speech in New York this week.
Cook was accepting the lifetime-achievement award from Alabama's Auburn University, during a ceremony at the United Nations headquarters in New York City.
Cook said he saw the devastating impact of discrimination while growing up in Alabama in the 1960s.
Cook said that he vividly remembers witnessing a cross burning, and that image was permanently imprinted in his brain, which changed his life forever.
During his speech, Cook revealed that he keeps photos of Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. in his office as a reminder of his own value system.
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Later, the Apple CEO paid tribute to the late Nelson Mandela and the latter's philosophy on human rights, the report said.
According to the report, Cook also reaffirmed his support for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, a bill that would make it illegal to discriminate against potential employees on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
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