Guide for Black History Month: Actions Your Employees Hope You'll Take and Actions to Avoid
Effective communication between brands and the Black community revolves around authentic representation, respectful storytelling, and inclusive collaboration. Here are some key approaches that brands can adopt to foster stronger trust, loyalty, and growth.
Prioritize Authentic Storytelling
Sharing real, lived experiences that reflect the values, culture, and challenges of the Black community is crucial. This not only builds credibility but also creates an emotional connection without appearing patronizing or superficial.
Include Black Voices and Talent
Ensuring that team members and content creators from the Black community are involved at every stage is essential. This helps to tell stories accurately and respectfully, avoiding outsider "overseeing" or misinterpretation.
Emphasize Community Impact and Heritage
Highlighting how the brand supports generational wealth, cultural heritage, and positive community impact authentically is important. Avoid using vague empowerment language and instead focus on tangible actions that resonate with the community.
Invest in Diverse, Inclusive Teams
Building marketing and customer experience teams that reflect racial and cultural diversity is key. This enables brands to better understand and serve Black customers’ unique perspectives and needs.
Avoid Tokenism or Performative Actions
Moving beyond superficial gestures by embedding genuine values of equity and inclusion into brand identity, messaging, and actions that resonate with the community’s priorities is essential.
Listen and Engage Continuously
Maintaining ongoing dialogue with the Black community is crucial to stay relevant and responsive. Use feedback to refine messaging and strategies to ensure they are resonating with the intended audience.
Support Black-Owned Media and Platforms
Collaborating with Black media outlets and community-centered platforms ensures authentic representation and amplifies Black voices in ways that honour their experiences and issues.
During periods like Black History Month, it's important for brands to avoid interfering. The Black Girl Magic community on Fishbowl has emphasized the need for management to allow space, relinquish control, and not obstruct. This approach avoids the pitfalls of presumption and superficial "empowerment".
By adopting these strategies, brands can authentically connect with the Black community, fostering stronger trust, loyalty, and growth.
- To demonstrate a commitment to the Black community, brands should prioritize investing in skills-training programs that empower Black individuals, ensuring personal growth and career development.
- Fashion-and-beauty brands can make a significant impact by collaborating with Black models and designers, authentically representing the community and promoting diversity in the industry.
- Brands can foster stronger relationships with the Black community by staying informed about and supporting education-and-self-development initiatives that align with their values.
- Utilizing social media platforms to share stories, resources, and ideas about lifestyle, relationships, and entertainment that cater to the interests of the Black community can help build relationships and show commitment.
- By partnering with Black-owned businesses, brands can authentically showcase their support for the community and contribute to the growth and sustainability of the fashion-and-beauty, entertainment, and social-media industries.
