Our Anti-Racist Small Business Pledge
I, Nicole (she/her), am committed to challenging myself and others on my anti-racism journey and encourage those who are white and white passing to do the same. On this journey I promise to be kind to myself and others while doing a deep dive to discover and understand the ways in which I uphold and perpetuate white supremacy. This will be a constantly evolving record to hold myself and my business accountable while I recognize my power and privilege on the search for racial equity + equality. The changes we make in ourselves, our lives, and our businesses set the precedent for those around us and become the new standard. I want to increase the impact we have on the world by recognizing that the system of white privilege has afforded me opportunities that many others have been denied and my experiences are not the norm. Progress is a process and I am honored to share this journey of action with you all. This is where I stand.
things to know:
I acknowledge the omni-present existence of racism and white supremacy and am committing myself and my business to a lifelong journey towards becoming anti-racist.
I believe business practices are more important than optics.
I am a cisgendered and I’m white.
engaging in anti-racist education:
I will continue to actively commit time and money to my anti-racism education and acknowledge that this learning will be continuous and lifelong.
What anti-racist education looks like for me: reading books and listening to podcasts while putting in the work to learn + unlearn racist behaviors, as well as attending classes, engaging in meaningful conversations with others and joining an accountability group.
How often will this take place? Oftentimes on a weekly, monthly, and quarterly basis.
conflict + conversation:
I vow to embrace conflict and discomfort and engage in conversation when these feelings arise, even if the conversation is with myself. My desire is for C+C to be a safe community driven space and as such I will always strive to meet the needs of those expressed on this platform.
budget + investments:
I am committed to investing a portion of my monthly sales (a minimum of 1%) to marginalized communities and to those in need.
As of August 2020 C+C has donated to the following causes: Minnesota Freedom Fund ($100), Justice for Breonna Taylor ($30), The Okra Project ($90), ACLU ($85), Honeysuckle Community Center ($100). Amounts shown for transparency and accountability.
I’m committed to divesting from large cooperations whose values do not align with my own and will continue to search for and support small businesses that are primarily black, people of color, queer, trans, indigenous, women (and and and) owned, as well as those who value an inclusive regenerative culture over an extractive one.
Companies I am divesting from: Uline & Amazon
Companies I will be supporting less in favor of supporting small local farmers: Mountain Rose Herbs
Previously, the money I’ve made has stayed mostly in the white community and I am remedying that by taking the above actions.
Business practices:
I’m dreaming of a world where we can recognize the harm we’ve done to others and take action to change our behaviors and the systems in place that perpetuate that behavior. I vow to be principle driven in my life and my business and as such will do my best to:
Build a culture of consent.
Avoid leveraging my privilege + using social triggers and fake scarcity to sell products.
Be inclusive with the businesses I support, the accounts I follow, and the imagery I use.
Signal boost others.
Break down the gender binary.
Lead with my work, ideas, vision, and shared values.
Call out cultural appropriation in myself and others.
Stop holding myself back and stop trying to conform to the standards of the toxic fleb (female lifestyle empowerment brand).
I recognize many of the problems we deal with lie within our culture. I want to do the best I can to encourage others to step into their power. I know I will have blindspots and promise to walk in grace with myself and others when those missteps and mistakes are brought to light.
resources:
Hello Seven: anti-racist small business pledge
Where Change Started: anti-racism starter kit + how to talk about race
Kelly Diels: feminist marketing and fleb
Countless other accounts and friends who have inspired me, held me up, and held me accountable.