Last week, I had the humbling experience of attending a Black Lives Matter support group at The Wing. Allies were invited, and as a white woman, that was the capacity in which I attended. It is critical to acknowledge this: that non-Black women were allowed to join the experience was ultimately so triggering and traumatizing The Wing has since restructured the offering to ensure a safer space, making it available to Black members only.
I was ignorant about my presence there—what it meant and what it would do—and have thought about that hour every day since. There is no adequate way to express my gratitude for the women who put their bodies on the line that day to educate me and people like me. That was not and is not their job.
I have spent the past week mulling over the right offering for this space, and I can't stop thinking about something shared at the meeting. A grieving woman expressed that she was out of words and didn't know what else to say. If language alone could eradicate virulent anti-Black racism and profound systemic inequality, wouldn't the winning words have already been spoken by the millions of writers, activists, protesters, civilians, faith leaders, and philosophers who have devoted their lives to the cause? Many of them—Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, President Barack Obama, Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, Zora Neale Hurston, Richard Wright, and innumerable others—some of the greatest voices and thinkers in world history.
I believe in the power of language with the fire of 1,000 suns. But language alone is insufficient. It has to be attached to action.
Black Lives Matter is not a brand strategy. It is not an advertising campaign. You cannot post a black square on Instagram, or offer vaguely expressed words of support and call it a contribution. Racism is not a comfortable conversation; it shouldn't be. Brands do not get to hijack Black lives for their feeds, campaigns, and messaging if there is no proven history of doing the work and no transparent plan of action for doing better.
The message is not just that Black Lives Matter.
The message is Black Lives Matter
AND this is where we've failed or succeeded in supporting Black lives and anti-racism.
AND this is a detailed, transparent list of how we will live and act as allies moving forward.
AND this is how we pledge to use our platform and invite you, our followers, to join us.
AND this is how we will ensure every decision made from here on out supports equality, diversity, and inclusion.
Anything less than that is not enough.
Here is some other helpful advice:
Sharp, clear, unadulterated language is non-negotiable (sit with this smoldering statement from Ben & Jerry's for a second) and it has to be rooted in doing the work. If you have no work to show, that's where you start. Not with a messaging strategy, but with interoffice policies centered around diversity and inclusion.
If you are a brand, you have a potent platform capable of changing and saving lives. Do not sleep on this. We are here to listen, to learn, and to help.