More than a Month
Eight months out from the Black Lives Matter movement’s resurgence and in the midst of Black History Month, there’s an opportunity to look at the brands trying to live up to the promises they made last summer and the black-owned businesses who have been putting in the work for years. Brands hold so much power to push the narrative forward, from specialized content to community initiatives, so it’s important to highlight the ones trying to make a difference.
It all started when I was scrolling through Instagram and saw advertisements for Black History Month collections and initiatives for some of my favorite brands. To me, this was cool and exciting and I wanted to talk about it. It doesn’t mean these brands have solved systemic racism. It doesn’t mean these brands shouldn’t have done things like this years ago. But they are starting to do them now, and I think that should be recognized. Black History Month is so important to celebrate as POC are still underrepresented in our history and culture as a whole, and this month shines a spotlight on the stories that don’t always get prioritized. But the next step will be expanding these stories, collections and initiatives outside of just this month.
After the events of 2020 and the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others, many people, brands, and organizations scrambled to release a statement denouncing racism. But how many of them actually walked the walk? And are they still walking?
In a survey conducted by Edelman, 60% of respondents agreed that businesses should speak out against systemic racism and racial injustice, and 63% believed they needed to follow up with concrete action to avoid looking exploitative. There was power in these movements and it gave brands an opportunity to show they were an ally. 82% percent of respondents said a brand had the power to earn or keep their trust just by issuing a response to racial injustice.
Most brands and companies did make a statement, but whether or not they are living up to those promises is still to be seen, although there are a select few who continue to go beyond the rest. It can’t just be about hiring more Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) as employees. Studies show these hiring practices aren’t making these employees more comfortable in the workplace, but actually leaves them feeling like it is their job to fix the racial inequality at their company. People aren’t diverse, groups are diverse, so in order to create a truly diverse workplace it has to start with the culture.
Three brands stood out to me in their efforts to celebrate Black History Month — Peloton, Target and Apple. They may be years late and there may be more they can do, but they’re trying to do more than throw a donation at a cause and call that sufficient. I can’t be the one to answer if these initiatives are consequential, but I can appreciate effort.
Throughout February, Peloton has plenty of different programming to honor the meaning behind the month. Not only are these workouts set to music from Black artists, but it branched out from just fitness classes into new realms. There is an apparel line honoring artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, which includes some of his signature looks and pieces from his creative style. They’re even hosting a fireside chat at the Brooklyn Museum in New York City with instructor Tunde Oyeneyin and Grammy and Academy award-winning artist Common for a night of free art, entertainment, and discussion. And while Peloton has gone beyond putting its money where its mouth is, it also puts its money where its mouth is. In June, it made ‘The Peloton Pledge,’ which promised $100 million over four years to being an anti-racist company, and in February, $100,000 of that went to The Steve Fund, helping with mental health initiatives for people of color. Peloton has exploded over the past year and instead of shying away from its newcomer status, it leaned into its conviction.
For Target’s sixth annual ‘Black Beyond Measure’ initiative, it has partnered with 1863 Ventures and the New Voices Foundation to make the month-long celebration bigger than ever. The initiative has its usual limited-time assortment of apparel and accessories from black creators and spotlight on black-owned brands, but the addition of these partnerships allowed it to create wealth and opportunities for black entrepreneurs. Target is hosting a pitch competition for female entrepreneurs of color to pitch their businesses and receive funding, as well as personalized coaching, mentoring, and business skills. Target also wanted a way to highlight students, so they created the HBCU Design Challenge, which recognizes rising art students at historically black colleges and universities. While Target continues to make strides for people outside of the company, it makes a point to create opportunities for its employees within the company. Each year it hosts a black-owned business fair to connect black team members with leaders all across the organization. On top of its yearly Black History Month initiatives, Target made a promise over the summer that pledged $10 million to rebuilding efforts and advancing social justice. Target’s social justice efforts have always been proactive instead of reactive, and that shines through in their culture.
When it comes to a brand like Apple, it is so prominent in people’s everyday lives that it has immense power to make an impact. For Black History Month, there is curated content across Apple Music, TV, Books, Podcasts, Maps, and the App Store to amplify black creators, artists, developers, and businesses. From music that has shaped genres and pop culture to multidimensional depictions of the black family on screen, to food-themed directories highlighting black-owned restaurants and spotlights of the best journalism around race in America — Apple is not just honoring black culture, but digging into the history and making it a part of our everyday lives. Apple pledged $100 million last year, and while the Black History Month gestures are important, they’re not everything. In January, it announced plans to build a global innovation and education hub for HBCUs, an Apple Developer Academy to support technology and coding education in Detroit, and venture capital funding for the BIPOC community. Apple is attempting to fight systemic racism on many levels, big and small, and that kind of commitment from such a global brand may be what this movement needs.
And while these grand gestures to support Black History Month are exciting, these collections shouldn’t be limited to just one month, just as black history can’t be limited to just one month and black lives can’t be limited to one month. It would be remiss to not highlight the black-owned businesses that have been making strides since the beginning and will continue to make an impact long after these Fortune 500 companies feel their work is done. From investment firms, to food markets, to beauty companies, to fashion, to media and everything in between, there are black-owned businesses that need our support.
I believe it is possible to acknowledge someone’s efforts while also realizing their shortcomings. Many brands trying to do impactful things today probably wouldn’t be doing them without pressure from their consumers to do better, so it’s important as consumers that we continue to hold brands to a higher standard. We need to look for concrete actions, not just words. We need to look for employee seminars and workshops, not just a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion hire. We need to look for consistent gestures, not just trends. Half-hearted PR statements and diversity hires to ‘check a box’ will no longer suffice and don’t create strong brands, actions do. I will never be able to say if these efforts are meaningful or successful as they aren’t impacting my community. But they feel like a start.
