Dear Friend,

Against the backdrop of 2020’s racial reckoning, the stakes for brands to make an authentic and meaningful statement this month in recognition of Black History Month are incredibly high.

Many companies appear to be rising to the challenge with a focus on long-term efforts to promote racial equity and spotlight black-owned artists, employees and entrepreneurs.

Some impressive examples:
Sock startup Bombas released their Black Hive Collection, “designed and brought to life by the company’s Black Hive — a collective of its Black-identifying employees”. Every item from the collection unlocks a sock donation to one of four organizations working to combat root causes at the intersection of homelessness and systemic inequality.

In January Sephora released powerful research that revealed disturbing truths about shoppers feeling excluded and discriminated against based on the color of their skin. The beauty retailer made a public commitment to join The 15% Pledge and said it will double their assortment of Black-owned brands by the end of this year. It’s spending this month highlighting some of those brands on its social channels.

In addition to a round-up effort supporting Black Girls CODE and UNCF, Macy’s* (also 15% Pledge signatories) will launch 11 new black-owned beauty brands this month and their iconic shop windows will feature works by black artists. In March, the retailer will launch Icons of Style, which it describes as, “collaborations with some of the country’s most dynamic black creatives.”

Other significant campaigns and commitments include Old Navy and Boys & Girls Clubs of America*, Walmart, Target, Kroger*, Nationwide and the National 4-H Council*.

There’s clearly more work to do, but these corporate-led efforts lift our spirits and leave us optimistic that business can leverage their many assets to keep the attention on these critical equity and inclusion issues.

David Hessekiel
President
Engage for Good

P.S. If you haven’t registered yet, there’s still time to grab your spot at this week’s brand new virtual event: Winning With Corporate Partners In 2021. Check out the full 3-day, action-packed event and register today!

*EFG Member