
@jonesy_b_
In the last few years, we’ve seen many creative industries subjected to scrutiny for the lack of visibility and diversity across the board. Forced to confront white-washed standards of what both beauty and corporate environments look like, long overdue conversations started happening. When it all came to a boil last spring, it felt like a reckoning; everywhere you looked, retailers, industry leaders, and publications alike were being held accountable for their lack of inclusivity. However, the short attention span of the internet swiveled, and attention went elsewhere. The conversation all but faded into the background once more.
Recently, writer and editor Isiah Magsino posed a powerful question in his article “Diversify Executive Leadership.” for Anti-Racism Daily: “How can an industry parade its interest in diversity, while still prohibiting Black and Brown talent from the decision-making process?” We heard a lot of lofty promises, but did we see much follow-through? What actions must be taken after public declarations?
I sat down for a socially-distanced conversation with Brittnie Jones, content creator and Director of Candid Network — a platform that connects some of your favorite brands with cool creators — to speak about how each of us has our own role to play in this movement, what true inclusivity is, and how brands and individuals can implement the action behind the solidarity.
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For example, I noticed we had an amazing opportunity to refine our approach when it came to diversification & amplifying BIPOC voices within our projects. Within every campaign we work on, we’re bringing these voices into our pitches, regardless if our client has asked for them (or not), and we don’t stop there. If we notice a client approving only white or white-passing creators, we do bring it to their attention. Not to berate or chastise them, but simply to remind them of the opportunity they have to bring about inclusion. We give the brand a chance to take a beat and really think about their decisions and actions (or inactions). In the creative world — specifically, the area in which Candid works — this is one way we as a company can hold ourselves accountable and bring the brands and the people we work with to this same standard.
I also want to point out that it is of the utmost importance to us that we take the time to find not just cisgender BIPOC creators but those who are queer, nonbinary, and transgender. We’re also talking about body positivity, so size inclusivity, including disabled bodies, and so on and so forth. Truly, this list can go on and on because diversity and intersectionality exist. When we say inclusivity, we really mean it.
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“You don’t need to sit around and wait for your client to bring up diversity and inclusion — start doing it yourself.”
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Lastly, if you’re being told it’s too hard to find BIPOC creators or think that it is, it’s not. If you are having difficulties it’s most likely due to the type of content you’re publishing & consuming. Think about it: the algorithm is designed to mirror your engagement, so if what you’re posting about or commenting on is lacking diversity, you’re creating an ecosystem that has zero representation of BIPOC voices – which is a clear indication that it’s time to switch it up!
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If you’re a company or agency finding themselves working or living within a gentrified neighborhood, give back to that community. Make donations, help with trash pick up, take part in community fridges, find ways to collaborate with that community’s creatives and thought leaders, both young and old. And for the love of god, please stop viewing these concepts and ideas as “political” because they’re not. That way of thinking is outdated and only serves one narrative. We as a society are much more complex than that.
Most importantly, hire BIPOCS within executive positions (emphasis on the S because I’m talking multiple not singular — we are not monolithic). Think about it, if you as a brand are to only use BIPOC talent in marketing but have zero reflection of diversity internally, we’ll then you’re just using people for their likeness & benefiting from that, and that’s wrong on so many levels. All in all, don’t talk about it — be about it!
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