The Pledge
In this week’s Be the Change series, we wanted to talk about causes that we admire. The “change” ecosystem is made up of change agents of varying kinds: some are on the frontlines, others are behind the scenes. And the idea is that every action counts. Today, we want to highlight an amazing #GirlBoss who has been on the frontlines advocating very hard in the fashion world to solve the issue of racism and underrepresentation of minorities in this space. Her name is Aurora James.
Aurora James is the force behind cult-favorite Brother Vellies. This year, when duty called, Aurora quickly put together an initiative with a team of colleagues called 15% Pledge. The initiative calls on America’s biggest retailers to take stock of the problem of systemic racism, to take ownership of the role they must play in the fight to end it and finally take action to create change. And this action is what Aurora calls the 15% pledge: a pledge of at least 15% of retailers’ shelf space to black owned businesses. Although this initiative was initially directed towards members of the retail and fashion industries who are multi-brand retailers, the sentiments behind this initiative can be applied broadly in our lives.
“Black people in the U.S. make up nearly 15% of the population. So, we are calling on major retailers to commit a minimum of 15% of their shelf to Black-owned businesses.” — 15% Pledge
Already, brands such as Sephora and West Elm have taken this pledge, and what started as a small thought on Aurora’s Instagram Stories is now a reality. To watch this initiative grow from such small beginnings has been incredible. Aurora embodies the spirit Be the Change, and she is living proof of how small actions and ideas can evolve into big change. Learn more about 15% Pledge on their website and Instagram page.
BLACK-OWNED BRANDS AT STYLE SONATA
