I think many of us are in the same boat right now with how we’re feeling. Angry, sad, heartbroken, over the murder of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and the countless other Black men and women killed by police simply for being Black. In some ways I think I’ve learned more in the span of a few days than I have in my entire life about racism in our society. I have SO much to learn and I have made that my mission. I am aware I’m talking to a mostly white audience, and so I ask you please, look within, ask yourself the hard questions, have the difficult conversations at home.
To my BIPOC readers, it is not your responsibility to teach or educate me. Please know my intentions are good, but I also want to be held accountable. I’m learning how to be a better ally and advocate. I’m learning how to be anti-racist. And I will inevitably get things wrong. It’s not about getting it perfect. It’s about doing more than just posting something on social media.
Today I am sharing four things I’m committing to as a start. If you’re not sure where to start see some resources I’ve shared in the beginning of this post. I have compiled a list of books to read here. I’d also love to hear from you all of you. What are you doing? How are you feeling? What have you read, watched, listened to recently? Please let’s be kind to one another. I want to encourage healthy conversation around this but I will not allow offensive comments or ugly discourse on here.
What I’m Doing Starting Today
One. I commit to holding my brand partners to a higher standard
I will ask brands up front who is involved in campaigns and if it’s all white women I will not participate. Also, I will be looking more closely at representation in leadership roles for the brands I partner with and asking why, if they are not diverse.
Two. I am donating every dollar earned from affiliate links for the month of June
I will donate every dollar earned from my affiliate links for the month of June to the following and I encourage you to look into them as well:
Three. I commit to supporting more Black-owned businesses and creatives
With my platform and my money, I commit to supporting more Black-owned businesses (particularly small businesses) as well as artists, creatives, influencers, and authors. I realized how little diversity was in my Instagram feed and I was really disappointed in myself. I realized how often I focus on featuring women and paying women for their work through my blog and they are almost all white. So I need to do better.
Four. I commit to being committed
The social media posts will inevitably stop. I commit to continuing this work when the media cycle moves on to something else. This starts with educating myself and my family. It starts with my daughter and what she sees now. It starts here on this blog and with this community.
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