How brands can take real action against racial injustice

Written By Megan Van Groll

No matter their size, businesses tend to occupy a de facto leadership role in a capitalist society.

That leadership comes with the responsibility to act ethically: towards the humans who work for it, and the ones who become customers.

Meanwhile, the marketers within a company (and sometimes, their agency partners) are often informally charged with being a voice of innovation — pushing their entire organization to change in ways that go well beyond communications and campaigns.

That’s just part of why it’s imperative for business leaders and marketers alike to take meaningful action for racial justice - not just release a glossy corporate statement.

The recent crescendo in public outcry and nationwide protests, ignited by the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and countless more Black citizens, mark a significant and historic turning point.

This moment cannot be swept under the rug or avoided, by anyone or any entity. This is a crisis we all must face.

Brands that are “staying out of it” because they don’t think racial justice is relevant to their business are mistaken — and risk putting themselves on the fast path to irrelevance.

Silence equals neutrality and indifference in the face of oppression, so speaking out is a start.

In the end, though, words are not enough. Whether you’ve publicly addressed systemic racism or not, your words must be backed by action.

As a White woman, I certainly don’t speak for Black people, and I don’t claim to have all the answers on the issue of racial inequity. I’m also not after praise or a gold star.

Instead, my intention here is to point other non-Black marketers and business leaders to insightful resources from the Black voices I’ve been following, listening to, and learning from during this period of re-education.

Following are a few steps brands can take to start down the path of becoming truly, actively anti-racist:

1. Look inward and root out bias in your own company.

They say change starts at home. Here, that means being willing to take an unflinching look at your own internal practices, including how you do or don’t live up to the values in your company mission statement.

Racism takes many forms, and some of its most insidious are also the most subtle.

Similarly, some of the most harmful people for the Black community are those who think they’re not racist, and one of the “good White people.”

Unchecked privilege and unexamined beliefs can be powerful and dangerous. So can inertia, a desire to hold onto the status quo, because change would be inconvenient.

How does this relate to business?

Companies are just groups of people. At their best, they’re groups of people effectively working together towards a common goal.

All of the human faults we’re capable of individually are only magnified in the collective.

And we all know about herd mentality.

As a starting point, ask yourself:

  1. How have you personally benefited from racism, even if you didn’t intend to?

  2. How has your company worked to maintain the cultural status quo, even if that status quo was damaging to people who don’t look like you?

Yes, this is supposed to be uncomfortable. That’s part of the work. Don’t let that stop you, and don’t give up when your honest examination shows you something you don’t like.

Discovering the hidden pockets of covert racism in your own psyche is not pretty. (We all have them.)

But as a human, your journey towards anti-racism cannot move forward otherwise.

Likewise, an organization cannot become anti-racist until its leaders have done the inner work.

Instead of burying your head in the sand, be willing to do the work to change it.

There are many resources available to show you what that inner work looks like. Here are a few to start with:

Anti-Racism Resources For White People (Forbes)

Save the Tears: White Woman’s Guide and its counterpart, White Guyde To The Galaxy by Tatiana Mac

White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh

2. Build a more diverse, inclusive company from the inside out: hire, promote, and pay black people.

Being anti-racist is directly tied to who you choose to hire, promote, and pay equitably.

Does your company, and its leadership, reflect the overall diversity of your community?

Examine unconscious biases in your hiring practices, and foster an environment where employees feel comfortable reporting discrimination without fear of retaliation.

Because hiring and promoting Black people is just one part of the equation: if they don’t feel safe physically or psychologically, you won’t retain them.

The Harvard Business Review article, “U.S. Businesses Must Take Meaningful Action Against Racism” by Laura Morgan Roberts and Ella F. Washington, offers a more thorough look at the work leaders can do within their own companies to build more diverse, inclusive organizations.

This applies not just to employees, but also to the freelancers, creators and influencers you choose to work with, says Vivienne Dovi, founder of Melanin Travel and author of “Five steps brands can take to genuinely show that black lives matter”:

“Do they ethnically look the same? And if a brand has hired black influencers, are they just a token in the campaign? Are they being paid the same amount as their white counterparts? What about the videographers, production managers and casting directors behind the scenes? They matter too.”

3. Open your wallet to anti-racism organizations and black-owned businesses.

It’s time to put your money where your mouth is.

Donating to organizations fighting systemic racism is a start.

But if a financial contribution isn’t possible, brands should “make use of what they have,” suggests Dovi.

“Not all bold acts are made through money; use time, space and/or influence to make a difference in local black communities.”

Dovi also suggests looking at your supply chain, and the ecosystem of other companies and people with whom you do business:

“Start by actively weeding out companies that have problematic policies or do not speak out on racism, and seek to involve black businesses in the brand’s supply chain. In turn, the focus isn’t only on selling products but ensuring that the brand is tackling racism wherever possible.”

On that note, anti-racist businesses that truly embrace their role as leaders will look to not only reshape themselves, but also their industries — as exemplified by Glossier:

4. Be consistent, vocal and encourage others to join you. This is a long game.

One statement is not enough. One donation is not enough.

Anti-racism work is never done. White supremacy is in the air we breathe, and it’s the system we’re all born into. That’s part of why it’s so hard to spot when you’re the one born into the privilege, unless you’re forced to see it.

There is no finish line or point at which we can check a box and move on. Being committed for the long haul is the only way we can turn this inflection point into real change.

Continue to educate yourself, and don’t rely on Black people to do it for you (especially not your Black employees).

Don’t let perfectionism or fear of not knowing the “right” thing to say keep you from saying or doing anything at all. Clarity comes from action, not the other way around.

Then, be prepared to listen more than you speak, and to get it wrong. A lot. And when you do, listen openly and gratefully to any feedback you receive, as it took bravery for someone to speak out to educate you.

This level of radical candor and vulnerability is completely counterintuitive in our particular climate of public discourse, I know.

But actually doing the work ourselves, consistently, in both our personal and professional lives, is the only way this works.

And doing it in the light, and not the shadows, is the only way the movement catches and spreads.

Megan Van Groll

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