Last week, George Floyd was killed by a police officer in Minnesota. There’s been an outpouring of supportive messages for #blacklivesmatter and justice for George Floyd on social media. It’s not just about George Floyd: it’s about Atatiana Jefferson, Ahmaud Arbery, Aiyana Jones, Mike Brown, and so many others who came before him. We must end systematic racism, both conscious and unconscious.
I’ve spend a lot of time over the weekend reflecting how I can do better personally and how we can do better as business. We must open our minds to the reality of racism faced by many across America and aim to become anti-racist in both thought and action. We need to teach our children, we need to have tough conversations with family and friends, we need to support black owned businesses, we need to vote, we need to donate to organizations that support what is happening in Minnesota and beyond, and we need to do better. When the social media exposure slows, it will matter just as much if not more, how we proceed from here. We must stand up to what’s wrong, speak up, and take action to promote equality and tolerance on every level. Most importantly, we must listen and be allies. We should listen not to fix, but listen to learn.
I always strive to be inclusive on our site, but I know we can do better in our coverage. I will do a better job about including Black owned and other minority owned bag brands, while also featuring more people of color in our editorials. Aurora James, founder of Brother Vellies, shared her thoughts on how we can do better: support Black owned businesses by buying product from them. The Black community makes up 15% of the population and her call to action is to give Black owned businesses 15% of shelf space at retailers. While we aren’t a retailer, we do introduce you to brands to shop, and while there is much more to be done on micro and macro levels, it’s important to make changes now.
Aside from donating monetarily, one way I feel can help right now is spotlighting Black owned handbag brands on our platform. We will continue to feature other Black owned and minority owned handbag brands on a regular basis.
If you want to deepen your anti-racism work, here is a comprehensive document with resources on books for kids, podcasts, articles, videos and more.
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