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Black Lives Matter
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Adidas’ trademark opposition against one of today’s leading movements has quickly made a 180-turn.
Mar 30, 2023
Kanye West could soon own the rights to the “White Lives Matter” phrase if he’s willing to open up his checkbook and pay up. In October, West sparked outrage over his “White Lives Matter” designs, which were revealed during the YZY Season 9 fashion show. Since then, the phrase has been gifted to Black activists, Ramses Ja and Quinton Ward, in the form of a trademark from an anonymous donor, Complex reports.
Nov 8, 2022
If you’re a TikTok creator, you have access to a tool called the Creator Marketplace. This marketplace allows you to connect with brands who may be interested in commissioning you for a series of promotions on the popular social media app. But if you’re a Black TikTok creator, you’ll find that using the marketplace to connect with such organizations as #BlackLivesMatter — or even typing in a search for “Black Lives Matter” in the toolbar — will result in the content being labeled “offensive.” According to Vox, that’s exactly what creator Ziggi Tyler went through. “Anything Black-related is inappropriate content,” he said in a video describing the situation. @ziggityler #greenscreenvideo I’m going live in 30 minutes to answer questions. Y’all need to get this message out. Please. #fypシ #fyp #wrong #justice ♬ original sound – Z According to Tyler, this is just another example of how Black content is regulated on social media in a way that white content is not. “I’m not going to sit...
Jul 8, 2021
Out with the old, in with the…better! This Virginia middle school was once named after a Confederate soldier and now its name will be replaced with a Black shero. According to USA Today, Sidney Lanier Middle School was established over 60 years ago and was named after an American poet who also happened to be a private in the Confederate army. Now, it will be renamed to honor NASA mathematician, Katherine Johnson. Johnson is known for her contributions to helping NASA put the first man on the moon and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States’ highest civilian honor, by President Barack Obama at age 97 in 2015. In September 2020, the Fairfax city school board made the decision after a majority of residents called to have the name changed. Over 300 new names for the school were submitted and the approval to rename the school was made on Nov. 2, 2020. Other names in the running included Fairfax Woods, Legacy Independence and City, and the late great Maya Angelou....
Jun 11, 2021
After a brief hiatus from the WNBA , Natasha Cloud is back in the game and she’s bringing some new footwear! In 2020, Cloud left the game to focus her attention on fighting for social justice, and now the Washington Mystics guard is back sporting the Converse All Star BB EVO. Courtesy of Nike/Converse The “Petal to the Metal” PE is the brand’s first player’s editor with a WNBA player with a colorway that’s inspired by one of Cloud’s tattoos — a rose tattoo, which appears on the lateral side of each heel. According to Converse , “Petal to the Metal” is also inspired by Cloud’s ability to “bloom bravely in all areas of her life.” Illustrated by blushes of Chambray Blue, Pink Foam, and Spring Green, the colorway stands firm in the idea of a community coming together in order to inspire new beginnings. Courtesy of Nike/Converse “I wanted the shoe to signify looking to new horizons, collective growth, and regenerating oneself,” said Cloud in an official press release. Cloud was named...
Jun 2, 2021
In a recent article, we told you that a study was released showing that Black influencers were amongst the highest-paid influencers in 2020. The study, however, focused on said influencers inside a specific eco-system in particular. Outside of that eco-system, however, Bloomberg News paints a very different reality. “The phenomenon of White artists appropriating the work of Black creators—and getting paid more to do it—is as old as the entertainment industry itself,” said the outlet. “Now that there’s real money to be made on these platforms—brand endorsements on social media account for $10 billion a year globally, according to SignalFire, a venture capital firm that tracks industry data—a new class of gatekeepers has emerged.” These gatekeepers, according to Bloomberg, are paying Black influencers hundreds of dollars in comparison to thousands of dollars that white influencers receive. Even more egregiously, Black influencers are making less — dollar for dollar — than their white...
Mar 12, 2021
This is how you do it! Nike has always been consistent in putting action behind their words when it comes to supporting Black lives. Remaining consistent, the athletic wear giant has announced a $500,000 investment with Black Girl Ventures. “The $500,000 investment from NIKE, Inc. will support Black Girl Ventures in its efforts to provide Black and Brown women-identifying founders with access to community, capital, and capacity-building to support entrepreneurship,” said the company in a press release. “This contribution builds on the commitments to Black Girls CODE, NAACP Empowerment Programs, and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) announced in July 2020.” Black Girl Ventures — a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit — is committed to addressing the unique challenges Black and Brown women face in accessing social and financial capital to grow their businesses. “Nike’s funding will help us grow our reach through new chapter development, increase our technology...
Jan 9, 2021
With the help of strangers, this Black woman will be able to fulfill her dreams of creating a safe space for other book lovers in her community. As a young girl, finding books written for girls who look like her by Black women authors was not an easy feat for Asha Grant. “When I was growing up, reading was a really huge part of how I got to understand myself,” Grant told NBC Los Angeles. “There’s a huge disservice that our entire community gets when there is an entire group of people who are missing from that narrative.” Fast-forwarding to adulthood, Grant used her passion to change this narrative by helping to provide books written by Black women for those in her community through her participation with The Free Black Women’s Library in LA. Grant would haul hundreds and hundreds of books penned by Black women around in her car. The organization eventually led to her idea of creating a bookshop catered to the same cause — providing people in her home city of Inglewood with not only...
Jan 7, 2021
Although it’s been a rough year for Denver’s beloved local chain, Tattered Cover, things are beginning to look up. After the pandemic caused several locations to close temporarily, a massive dent in sales followed. However, this week, owners Len Vlahos and Kristen Gilligan announced the sale of the store to Bended Page LLC in turn making Tattered Covered the largest Black-owned independent bookstore in America. According to NPR, Bended Page LLC is a group of investors led by businessmen Kwame Spearman and David Back. As Denver natives, the new owners have a long history with Tattered Cover. In an interview with the Denver Post, Back reveals that his first job was as a cashier at the company’s Cherry Creek, Colorado location. When the pandemic hit, Back approached Vlahos and Gilligan then pitched the idea to Spearman. “The notion of buying a bookstore in the middle of [a] pandemic was just about the craziest thing I had ever heard,” said Spearman. After Back’s persistence, Spearman...
Dec 16, 2020
Amazon has plans to double the number of Black leaders within the company. The plan is to increase their number of Black leaders beginning at the end of the year and into 2021 and beyond, reports FOX Business. “At Amazon, we’re constantly learning and innovating – and our long-term efforts in diversity and inclusion are no different,” says an Amazon spokesperson. “ As part of this work, we are setting aggressive goals in our ongoing effort to be a top employer for Black employees.” According to FOX Business, the electronic commerce giant says that they will begin to make “increased investments and programming designed to grow Black leaders from within.” Their first order of business is to “double the representation of Black Directors and Vice Presidents in 2020 and again in 2021.” They also note that just last week , Amazon scored its biggest quarterly profit ever and the new efforts will take place through programs like its $700 million commitment to “upskilling” — the process of...
Nov 9, 2020
LIFEWTR is making a statement on behalf of the Black Lives Matter movement in a move that merges Black art and technology together. PepsiCo brand LIFEWTR — a premium water brand with a history of amplifying social progress through art — recently announced the launch of Black Art Rising , an infinite digital gallery that documents the diverse responses to the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020. View this post on Instagram A post shared by LIFEWTR (@lifewtr) In an effort to further amplify the Black Lives Matter movement, the brand has turned its channels over to eight purpose-driven artists to preserve this moment in time and immortalize our progress as a people through a historical exhibition, a press release reports . “People get easily distracted. It’s necessary we keep the conversations going and people focused on what really matters. Art is influence. Why wouldn’t we use our platform,” burgeoning hip hop artist, Tobe Nwigwe , said in a statement. In addition to Nwigwe, the...
Oct 20, 2020
Actress Kerry Washington and author Wes Moore have joined forces to help support Black leaders in their fight to build an equitable, anti-racist, fair America. According to Black Enterprise , The Black Voices for Black Justice Fund was launched with an initial $2 million investment and now has a goal of raising over $10 million to support Black leaders as they work to advance racial justice. Per the foundation’s website : “The Fund was established to amplify clarion voices about racial justice; connect new and established Black leaders to one another; and support Black-led efforts to build meaningful economic and political power for their communities in the context of police brutality and the disproportionate impact of the pandemic along racial lines – including disparities in access to healthcare, jobs, education, justice and the right to vote.” The fund is currently being co-chaired by Washington, Robin Hood CEO, Moore; CEO of New Leaders, Jean Desravines; President and Executive...
Oct 9, 2020
Popular food brand, Uncle Ben’s has finally changed their name following its commitment to change back in June. The brand was amongst others like Aunt Jemima, who admitted to capitalizing off of the lives of Black people for the success of their brands. “We will change our name to Ben’s Original™ as well as remove the image on our packaging to create more equitable iconography,” said the company in a written statement. “This change signals our ambition to create a more inclusive future while maintaining our commitment to producing the world’s best rice.” They also wrote, “Over the last several weeks, we have listened to thousands of consumers, our own Associates and other stakeholders from around the world. We understand the inequities that were associated with the name and face of the Uncle Ben’s brand.” Continuing on the apology train, the brand says they will also take other initiatives to back their call to support the Black community. “In addition, in Greenville, Mississippi-...
Sep 24, 2020
Wells Fargo is back at it again with their antics when it comes to the bank’s stance on diversity. According to NBC News , Wells Fargo & Co-Chief Executive Charles Scharf infuriated some of his Black employees in a Zoom meeting when he doubled down on why the bank has had trouble reaching diversity goals. Per Reuters , two participants shared his response to the bank’s lack of diversity is because “there was not enough qualified minority talent.” Not only did he express such a horrible take during the Zoom meeting, but Scharf also reiterated himself in the company-wide memo on June 18 following the nationwide protests that erupted after the police murdered George Floyd. “While it might sound like an excuse the unfortunate reality is that there is a very limited pool of Black talent to recruit from,” said Scharf in the memo, seen by Reuters. Several Black senior executives across corporate America were frustrated by Scharf’s claims on the talent shortage, calling the refrain a huge...
Sep 23, 2020
Over a dozen companies have just pledged to add at least one Black director to their boards within the next year, AP News reports. The move comes as an effort to ensure their leadership reflects the customers they serve. “America has been reminded again in tragic fashion that we must redouble our efforts to build a more inclusive society,” said co-founder of The Board Challenge and CEO of Altimeter Capital, Brad Gerstner in a statement. “Business leaders can’t let this moment pass us by without playing our part and taking this tangible step to build a more diverse boardroom.” Co-founders of The Board Challenge will check in with the respective companies after six months and again at the 12-month mark. They will also aid in helping them find candidates to fulfill their positions. While this is a huge step, there’s still a ways to go when it comes to getting people who aren’t white men into leadership positions. According to Black Enterprise, more than a third of the big companies...
Sep 15, 2020