Is your brand inclusive?
Image c/o @laurentaylor
Is your business missing the mark?
The importance of diversity and inclusion in your marketing.
This quote sums up beautifully how many of us are feeling after the recent events of this past week. It is unfortunate that it took the loss of George Floyd's and Breonna Taylor's life for people to wake up. Because we are all at home and consuming so much social media we collectively witnessed it and for once could not turn a blind eye to it. I am here to tell you that this is nothing new, the only difference is that it was all over the news and social media. Often these stories do not even make the news, and if they do they go unnoticed.
If you follow me on social media @daniellelewisdesigns you will know that I spoke up about my point of view as it relates to my white privilege and my two beautiful bi racial boys and black husband. I shared about how using the term 'I don't see colour' should be erased from our vocabulary and how it is is harmful in fact. Children are born seeing colour, and as a friend put it, if we can see the colour of traffic lights, we can see the colour of someone's skin.
As a white woman my privilege has allowed me to learn about racism and not experience it, and that is something that I do not take for granted. I have to admit though there have been many times where I have witnessed it and have not spoken up for fear of saying the wrong thing. These conversations that we are having collectively are conversations I have daily with my husband, with my friends that are of colour (and no this is not a tokenistic statement) who experience racism and discrimination on a daily basis. These are conversations that are painful and vulnerable and hard to have, but important to discuss. Every time I have one of these conversations, it is up to me to listen, to learn and hear what is being said to me.
I am committed to use my voice and my platform to amplify the voices of BIPOC, to speak up and speak out when I see racial injustice, lack of representation, gaps in marketing even if it is uncomfortable. Will I lose followers - probably. Will I lose clients - maybe... but to me it is more important for me to stand with those I care about, respect and who's voices also matter than fearing I will get it wrong or upset someone along the way.
"I know some believe that all lives matter but in the end all lives don’t matter until black lives matter." - Maribel 22 said durning a protest last week. There has been much debate over this statement and has been for ages. There is so much truth in these words, if we open our hearts and mind and try to understand what this truly means.
There is so much work to be done, and this is only the beginning. So as we move past the black squares (if you posted one last week), commit to doing the work within yourself and your business that you too can learn how to undo your own biases and work towards using your own voices in allyship.
Jennifer Singh from @shesnewsworthy is hosting a Facebook live tomorrow here for anyone who wants to learn how to create inclusive marketing for their small business. Note: You must be part of her closed group in order to access it, and the replay will be up forever on her page.
If you want to delve deeper into breaking down racism and doing your own personal work I highly encourage you to purchase Rachel Rickett's Spiritual activism 101 webinar or Brit Barron's Understanding Racism 101 pdf guide. These are just a few of the many resources out there right now.
If you have kids, Amber Robinson's Raising Little Allies to Be is a beautiful download that you can print and do with your kids.
I encourage you all to explore your own privilege and biases and do something about them in an authentic non performative way. If we all do the work collectively our voices can make an impact and move the needle. There is no going back, so be the change.
With love,
Danielle
xx