Do the work.

Over the last week I’ve joined with other brands and creators to mute myself in order to pass the mic and amplify black voices. As someone who considers myself to be relatively informed in issues surrounding social justice, this last week has provided an opportunity for me to dig even deeper, have uncomfortable conversations with myself surrounding my own privilege, continuing those conversations with others outside of my home and uncovering more and more ways to do and be better.

As I’ve done some of this work I’ve noticed passion from all ends of the activism spectrum, from those who are doing the work loudly and those who don’t know where to start. In your pursuit to be a better ally, here’s the “what”, “where” and “when”. (You’re the “who”.)

AT HOME

• Be attentive to what your black and brown friends are saying. Practice active listening and tune into when you feel uncomfortable. More listening, less talking.

• Have open dialogue with family and relatives. Be prepared for uncomfortable conversations. When you don’t have all the answers, (because you won’t) you can refer to the Antiracist Research & Policy Center, Black Women’s Blueprint, and Color of Change (to name just a few).

AT WORK

• Hire more black and brown candidates. See where you can collaborate with BIPOC-owned businesses. If diversity and inclusivity are in your values, it must show up in your staff and be represented throughout your brand.

• Subscribe to podcasts that discuss justice, racial equity and racism. A few that come recommended:

  • 1619 (The New York Times)

  • About Race

  • Code Switch

  • The Diversity Gap

  • Intersectionality Matters! hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw

FROM YOUR BOOKSHELF

• Read more from black and brown authors on their experiences and how to be a better ally. Better yet, buy them from black-owned bookstores. A few to start with:

  • Black Feminist Thought by Patricia Hill Collins

  • Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower by Dr. Brittany Cooper

  • Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon

  • I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

  • Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

• Start a book club with friends to dive deeper and unpack what you read.

IN YOUR CLOSET

• Shop BIPOC-owned businesses. And stop shopping from brands that have remained silent or have made empty statements. They are not doing the work and there are plenty of brands that deserve your dollars (I LOVED this from Nike.). And many that give back. A few that are also women-owned:

  • ACCESSORIES

    • Menen Pictures

    • The Silver Feather

    • Tails N Tassels

    • Workingurl

  • APPAREL

    • Haus of Swag

    • Loulette Lingerie

    • Pretty and Pink

    • 87 Treasures

  • BEAUTY

    • Anové

    • Artless Skincare

    • Bottled With Love

    • Organic Bath Co.

    • SunKiss

  • HOME GOODS

    • Ispaci

    • Mecca Candle Co.

    • Perry Boyce

    • Pixie & Thistle

    • Sabai Design

  • MISCELLANEOUS

    • Afrocentric Montessori

    • Dabira Aroma

    • Shop NBxCrew

    • Stationed By Hand

    • Tailored By Terri

IN YOUR COMMUNITY

• Attend the marches, protests and rallies. Here’s how to find one near you.

• Seek out services owned by black and brown people. Put money in real people’s pockets over big box stores. A few you can browse on-line:

  • ENVSN: A London-based boutique web agency that provides beautiful, elegant, holistic web solutions for creative entrepreneurs and businesses.

  • On Brand Deck: From strategy sessions to website design, On Brand helps you create a presence with clarity.

  • Sweet Kiss Lemonade: A local, hand-crafted beverage company specializing in lemonades, offering contact-less pick-up and delivery in New Jersey.

  • The Aerial Loft: A pole and aerial dance studio in Long Island, NY offering classes to men and women, children, and adults. 

  • The Well Mommy: Promoting high-quality birth, postpartum, and community-based doula support by setting the standard for the doula profession.

• Show up for community meetings that are on issues that impact black and brown people. Use your voice to advocate for meaningful change.

• Sign the petitions.

• Text or call your city or town offices, legislative offices and federal government representatives. You can send them an e-mail too.

• Vote. Not registered? You can do that here.

IN YOUR KITCHEN

• Support black and brown-owned brands. Contribute, participate, purchase their products and shout and share them on social media to help with visibility.

• Don’t feel like cooking? If you’re in Boston, you can order take-out from any of these:

  • Rock City Pizza, Allston

  • 50Kitchen, Dorchester

  • Savvor Restaurant & Lounge, Downtown

  • D Coal Pot, Hyde Park

  • Blue Nile Restaurant, Jamaica Plain

  • Au Berre Chaud Bakery, Mattapan

  • Ali’s Roti, multiple locations

  • Other eateries and businesses you should know.

ON SOCIAL MEDIA

• Explore organizations that are doing important work around social justice, such as:

  • Equal Justice Initiative

  • Families Belong Together

  • The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights

• Follow more black and brown-owned brands, creators and influencers. If all you see is white-centric, you aren’t broadening your worldview in one of the easiest ways.

• Host open dialogue with your followers about the injustices faced by marginalized communities and how to get involved. It’s not just up to the black community to have these conversations.

• Interact with the accounts you follow that promote and uplift the black and brown community.

• Share the work of black and brown creators in your stories. Always be sure to attribute credit and add a link to bring more traffic.

ON YOUR T.V.

• Watch more movies and shows with black and brown-centered storylines.

  • MOVIES

    • 13th (Netflix)

    • American Son (Netflix)

    • Black Power Mixtape: 1967-1975 (Rent it)

    • Clemency (Rent it)

    • If Beale Street Could Talk (Hulu)

    • The Hate U Give (Hulu)

  • TV Shows

    • When They See Us (Netflix)

Within yourself…

• Understand that white supremacy occurs both overtly and covertly. (via Good Good Good)

• Continue to do the work. Donate more, read more, research more even as the trend of doing so dies down.

The learning, listening and work never stops. That’s being an ally.