Anti-Racism Resources
The creative services industry can play a huge part in combating institutionalized racism, both within itself and in our community. We’re sharing links to organizations and creators doing the real work, and to posts that frame the conversation and educate. Join us on our learning journey.
Bad Boss Brief: The DEI Lie
Eugene S. Robinson and Stephanie Peirolo, hosts of the Bad Boss Brief podcast, bring the show live to Seattle on June 7th, 2023.
Reprising episode three, The DEI Lie, they’ll talk about Bad DEI and explore how we can be better.
The show will be provocative and thought-provoking, with plenty of Q&A, so join us!
ALLYSHip & Action
State of Equity: WTF, America 2022
The workforce is exhausted and burnt-out from corporate America.
How do we ensure the workforce know the real context of toxic workplace culture?
How do we ensure they’re able to “name” the issues, and have the tools and language to address and design systems for a safer workplace?
Join this important day of discussions on supporting human rights and safety in the workplace.
DATE: December 8, 2022
TIME: 9:50AM - 2:05PM PST
Creative Pipeline: Open House
The exciting new Creative Pipeline for diverse hiring is here!
Find out more at the open house on September 15th, from 4-7 pm.
An amazing, massively important opportunity is actually and finally here
August 16th, 2022
12:00-1:00 pm
LinkedIn Live
Sustainable creative excellence requires a pipeline of truly diverse talent.
Finally, one exists, here, now, for our industry.
Agency and vendor leaders, talent recruiters: You said you wanted a way to be more inclusive, to be anti-racist. This is your path.
Learn more about how the program will work and how your company can participate at this live, online preview session.
About The Creative Pipeline
The Creative Pipeline is a new workforce development program launching in Seattle in September with the opening of the William Grose Center for Culture Innovation & Enterprise.
The Creative Pipeline is made possible by the Africatown Community Land Trust and is centered on creating internships that better connect the region's advertising and commercial production agencies to emerging Black, Indigenous and creatives of color.
TraeAnna Holiday, of King County Equity Now and Converge Media, will be giving an overview of the Creative Pipeline and will be joined by advertising industry leaders who will share their experience implementing internship programs.
Guests include:
Sheila Brown, Vice President, Equity & Inclusion at AICP
Tony Fulgham, Founder and CEO at All is Well
Chris Witherspoon, President and CEO at DNA
A Challenge to Agency Leaders
600+ Black industry professionals led by former AAF Seattle Director, Nathan Young, penned an open letter to agency leaders on June 9th, 2020. How will Seattle leaders respond? We’re here to help.
The time for action is upon us
Image by @nowah_j
Our society is in the midst of a collective awakening about systemic racism and anti-Black violence in the United States. The recent incidents of police killings and racist acts caught on camera have led to a heightened awareness among non-Black community members of our nation’s storied history of violence and hate against the Black community. Systemic racism and the historical marginalization of the African American community extends beyond the civic institutions under recent scrutiny all the way to our own agencies and creative practices.
Our own efforts at AAF Seattle have long sought to advocate for and to practice real change beyond the thinly comforting platitudes of typically hollow D&I gestures, but they’ve been too few and far between. We can do more. You’ll begin to see our increased dedication over the coming year, but there’s no sense talking further about what we envision when it’s actions that matter.
Consider this a call-to-action. This page provides resources to empower each of us to learn more, speak out, and take action. While we usually frame our content in the context of Seattle’s creative services industry, so much foundational work needs to be done, so we’re including broader information while adding increasingly more local/industry content as we go.
For white and non-Black POC aspiring allies, it's our responsibility to leverage the resources at our fingertips to educate ourselves without further burdening our Black friends and colleagues to educate us.
It's important to note the difference between intent and impact here. If we reach out to a Black colleague and say "what can I do to help?" or "what does it look like to be an ally to you right now?" the intent may be to help, but we run the risk of making it about our feelings and taking additional time and energy from our Black peers while they already have so much to carry (impact).
Whether you’re new to allyship or a longtime supporter, the path ahead will be filled with imperfection. Listening, learning, and improving will serve you well. It’s a long haul. Persevere.
The important thing is to heed the Black community for specifically which actions are needed, not what you may initially think is important. We’ll try to help clarify that below.
To our Black members, colleagues, and friends: We see you. We value you. And we are committed to doing the work, having the uncomfortable conversations, and embracing our shared responsibility as aspiring allies to dismantle white supremacy.
Education • Funding • Action • Advocacy • Assistance
We’ve filtered the resources we’re sharing for efficacy and need.
We don’t have all the answers but we hope to offer some good ones.
This is a start to an evolving page.
Please share anything helpful via our contact form.
Education
Learning is the root of understanding. Whether you’re beginning your journey or feel comfortable with discussions about race, it’s smart to get context from people who know.
Anti-Racism Resources
Yes, our resources page is sharing another resources page, but it’s because it’s so well done and so complete, where our selections are more specific.
This Google Doc is intended to serve as a resource to white people and parents to deepen our anti-racism work. If you haven’t engaged in anti-racism work in the past, start now. Feel free to circulate this document on social media and with your friends, family, and colleagues.
Systemic Racism Explained
by act.tv, production by JuVee Productions
The term “systemic racism” can sound abstract when you’re first exposed to it. This animated video demonstrates it clearly and quickly.
JSTOR Daily: Institutionalized Racism: A Syllabus
How can we help people understand George Floyd’s death was not an isolated, tragic incident perpetrated by a few bad individuals, but part of a broader pattern of institutionalized racism?
Institutional racism—a term coined by Stokely Carmichael (later known as Kwame Ture) and Charles V. Hamilton in their 1967 book Black Power: The Politics of Liberation in America—is what connects George Floyd and Breonna Taylor with Ahmaud Arbery, Philando Castile, Sandra Bland, Eric Garner, Emmett Till, and the thousands of other people who have been killed because they were black in America.
The articles found after the link, published over the course of JSTOR Daily’s five years, provide context.
White Privilege Explained
The term “white privilege” gets used a lot because it is fundamental to the context of all racial discussion. What does it mean? These illustrations help explain.
About Protests and Rebellion
The protests we’re participating in and seeing on TV are a response to a long history of actions and systems. Emotions are high. It’s human nature to react to what’s going on, but if you’re unfamiliar with the specifics it can be easy to come to the wrong conclusions. This series offers some insight on what’s going on. Note: the author wants to replace “riot” with “rebellion,” the term preferred by the activists on the ground.
Time Magazine: George Floyd’s Murder Shows Once More That We Cannot Wait For White America to End Racism
by Eddie S. Glaude, Jr
How does one live in such a time? What happens in your bones, on your insides, when you’re ravaged by disease and hatred? For those African-Americans who have lost loved ones and their jobs, who find themselves in long lines at food banks, who have to deal with the ongoing stress of a virus that can strike at any moment, how do you manage the trauma of loss and the terror of seeing another Black person killed by the police? Click image for full article
Ad Age: BET PRESIDENT ON MEDIA'S ROLE TO EFFECT SOCIAL CHANGE
Scott Mills discusses how brands should participate in conversations around systemic racism
Scott Mills, president of BET Networks, talks about the responsibility of media brands in helping effect change following the death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer. He also delves into how the industry should work towards being more inclusive.
Blavity: We Are Fed Up With Fighting a Pandemic Amid a Pandemic
“We are fed up because we are forced to fight a pandemic amid a pandemic. We are being disproportionately killed by systemic and overt racism at the same time — and are expected to accept these deadly conditions. Crisis after crisis, crisis on top of crisis, we have marched, kneeled, lobbied, voted and built our own spaces to find ways to navigate it all. And yet, we wake up each day, face the trauma and fight on.” Click image for full article
Ad Age: OMNICOM'S TIFFANY R. WARREN ON ACCELERATING EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
ADDED 6/8: The agency's chief diversity officer discusses how companies can improve hiring practices.
Tiffany R. Warren, chief diversity officer at Omnicom Group talks about the steps agencies need to take to improve their hiring practices in the wake of George Floyd's death and resulting protests. Warren discusses how the ad world can continue pushing for diversity and inclusion.
Seattle DEI Community of Practice:
Join the Seattle DEI Community of Practice for a Day of Learning to help lead companies across industry through these unprecedented times.
The COVID-19 global pandemic continues to significantly impact many aspects of our lives and the value of diversity, equity and inclusion principles is being pressed upon our public discourse in every dynamic ways. The DEI landscape is also changing at work. In these uncertain times, we have an opportunity like never before to ensure we not just maintain, but accelerate the work to bring inclusion at the core of our company cultures. Event includes a fireside conversation with Dr. Robin DiAngelo, author of White Fragility, entitled: “Why is it So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism?”
Thursday, June 18 - 9 am-1 pm
An Open Challenge to Agency Leaders
illustration by Kacy Burdette for Adweek
Our friend and former Diversity Director, Nathan Young, has spearheaded an open letter from over 600 Black industry professionals to all agency leaders. Adweek interviews Nathan for additional context.
The letter includes 12 long overdue demands:
Make a specific, measurable, and public commitment to improve Black representation at all levels of agency staffing, especially Senior and Leadership positions
Track and publicly report workforce diversity data on an annual basis to create accountability for the agency and the industry
Audit agency policies and culture to ensure the environment we work in is more equitable and inclusive to a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives
Provide extensive bias training to HR employees and all levels of management
Extend agency outreach to a more diverse representation of colleges, universities, and art schools
Expand residencies and internship programs to candidates with transferable skills who may not have taken a traditional educational path toward advertising
Create, fund, and support Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) for Black employees
Invest in management and leadership training, as well as mentorship, sponsorship, and other career development programs for Black employees
Require all leadership to be active participants in company Diversity & Inclusion initiatives and tie success in those initiatives to bonus compensation.
Create a Diversity & Inclusion committee made up of Black and NBPOC employees to help shape diversity & inclusion policy and monitor its progress
Establish a diversity review panel to stem the spread of stereotypes in creative work and ensure offensive or culturally insensitive work is never published
Introduce a wage equity plan to ensure that Black women, Black men and people of color are being compensated fairly
We were already going to attempt to organize a response from Seattle agency leaders with a plan of action to address our industry’s historically unequal practices. This letter not only adds to the immediacy of the need, it actually spells out a course of action to follow.
The demands are clear. Action is overdue. So how will Seattle agencies answer? We’ll help organize. Let’s get this going. We’ve got a lot of work to do.
We’ll be reaching out to our agency contacts, but please reach out to us, too.
Funding
Money can help the most, the quickest. We need to help enable those who are making the most impact, to patronize Black businesses, to amplify Black creators.
Northwest COmmunity Bail Fund
Aid for protesters.
The Northwest Community Bail Fund (NCBF) provides cash bail for marginalized people charged with crimes who are unable to afford bail and find themselves incarcerated while awaiting routine court appearances in King and Snohomish Counties in Washington State.
This allows people to get out of jail during their trial period and defend themselves from a position of freedom.
“Poor people accused of crimes face a stark choice: stay in jail to fight the case or plead guilty and go home.
This creates a system in which innocent people plead guilty because they can’t afford bail.”
NOrthwest Film Forum: All June Film Proceeds to Benefit the Cause
“Now, it is with great conviction that NWFF does our part as a non-Black arts organization, to harness the privilege which has been handed down to us over our past 25 years, and use it to make a difference in this critical moment in time.
ALL PROCEEDS from our June film screenings will benefit the Black Lives Matter Seattle Freedom Fund, Trans Women of Color Solidarity Network, and other organizations to be announced. In partnership with Three Dollar Bill Cinema and Black Cinema Collective.”
INtentionalist’s Gift Certificate Marketplace
Intentionalist lets you find underrepresented businesses based on community, service or product, and neighborhood (more details in the Advocacy section below). We’ve linked directly to their gift certificate marketplace so you can scan through for Black-owned businesses to discover and support immediately with online purchases for later use.
Fathers Day is right around the corner…
Africatown Community Land Trust
as conveyed to The Evergrey by Isaac Joy
“…if you care about George Floyd, but you also care about Yellowstone, or abortion rights, or having an attorney general that doesn’t do the President’s bidding, then INVEST IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY. And ACLT is a good place to start.”
Lance: Passing It On
Now is the time to dig in and do more to pass it on to Black individuals looking to grow.
Given her focus on addressing income inequality and the freelancing ecosystem, Lance’s founder, Oona Rokyta has blocked out 2 hours every week going forward to have focused one-on-one 30 minute calls with Black individuals learning how to work for themselves, set their rates, deal with taxes - basically anything financially and individual business-related.
Action
Social media posts only go so far. What else can you do? What can you say? How can those with privilege use it for change? The Black community has been telling us all along. We just need to listen.
8 Can’t Wait
Campaign Zero has consolidated a list of 8 use of force policies that can reduce police violence by 72%.
Seattle’s showing up pretty well, comparatively, but not perfect:
✅ Bans Chokeholds and Strangleholds
✅ Requires De-escalation
✅ Requires Warning Before Shooting
❌ Requires Exhaust All Alternatives Before Shooting
✅ Duty to Intervene
❌ Ban Shooting at Moving Vehicles
✅ Has Use of Force Continuum
✅ Requires Comprehensive Reporting
Contact mayor Jenny Durkan to let them know: eight can't wait:
Click to call: 206-684-4000
Email (with script included): jenny.durkan@seattle.gov
Forbes: How To Be An Ally During Times Of Tragedy
by Janice Gassam, Forbes Senior Contributor - Diversity & Inclusion
Since the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, Ms Gassam has written a series of articles guiding people with questions on how to handle what’s happening, which she has continued through the recent murder of George Floyd. This post begins her series.
How are you showing up outside of social media?
Change takes action. Consider your effort and commitment.
Tonl: Active Ally-ship
From Seattle’s own Tonl: “It’s not our job. It’s not our job to do the work for you. But, there are some of you begging for credible direction so here you go. This week, we are breaking it down from a day to day perspective on how you can enter into the conversation. How you can do the work to be anti racist. It’s a long journey ahead, but as the past weeks have unfolded, we hope you can see that this work is a necessity. It’s not charity; it’s your civic duty.“
Ways You Can Help
Future for Us linked us to a list featuring:
I want to help but Where do I fit in?
You don’t have to do everything, or even the most visible thing. We all have a place in this.
Terisa Siagatonu explains: “I realized that how I’ve been responding to this crisis has been through trying to step into roles that I feel are commonly expected of me (frontline responder, guide, disruptor) rather than the roles I’m strongest at (storyteller, healer, caregiver, visionary). Many of us feel helpless because the terror of this moment is rightfully overwhelming. But I’m constantly reminded that this overwhelm and crisis can only end if we’re a strong, united front and if we’re aware of our strengths, gifts, and skills within our communities. Many of us come from elders and ancestors who have paved the way for us to exist in this fragile, resilient ecosystem together. We’re here, and we have what it takes to show up for one another and come out of this together. We have to believe that.”
How to help—for real
Mireille Cassandra Harper breaks down her post, which has been picked up by Vogue: “I wanted to provide those who wanted to support and be an ally with practical tips to move forward and make a change in our society.
I hope this toolkit provides you with the starter info you need but there are genuinely people more experienced than me who warrant your listening to - please go and follow @nowhitesaviors, @laylafsaad, @rachel.cargle, @ckyourprivilege, @iamrachelricketts, @thegreatunlearn, @renieddolodge, @ibramxk + a few more: @akalamusic, @katycatalyst + @roiannenedd who all have books or resources from many more years of experience.“
Employer Accountability
Rachel Cargle developed a template to help your employer and even our vendors walk the walk.
“During my public address yesterday one of the intentional action items I suggested was holding your employer or organization accountable for how they are showing up for racial justice. With this document you can copy, paste and edit for your details, sign and ship it off to the email inbox who needs to see it.”
Advocacy
The world needs to hear Black voices, to discover Black talent, to send dollars towards Black businesses. We’ve curated a few key sources for you to explore.
Intentionalist
Spend Like It Matters
Intentionalist is an online guide to intentional spending that supports small businesses and diverse local communities. They make it easy for you to find local restaurants, bars, gyms, shops, and more owned by women, people of color, veterans, LGBTQ, families, and differently abled people. Beyond serving as a directory, Intentionalist supports community connection through business profiles based on interviews with local business owners, and meet-ups that provide the opportunity to meet them and learn about the stories behind their businesses. It all starts with everyday decisions about where we buy a cup of coffee, work out, or pick up a birthday gift. Whether you identify as a localist, activist, or just a good neighbor, Intentionalist helps you contribute to the businesses that keep our communities vibrant and diverse.
We’ve linked directly to the search results for Black-owned small businesses in Washington.
Tonl:
Premiere Diverse
Stock Photos
Seattle’s own Tonl helps you find culturally diverse stock photos that represent the true world we live in. Creating an inclusive culture takes both commitment and action. A diverse mix of voices leads to better discussions for everyone.
We’re linking to their Instagram which includes awesome Story Highlights and a Linktree for continued anti-racism awareness but you can reach them directly at tonl.co.
Visual shortcuts to Black-Owned Businesses in Seattle
We shared a link to Intentionalist’s live list but this is a visual shortcut created by SeattleWorks based on those results.
ADDITIONS: @meskelethiopian / The Original Philly’s 3019 MLK Way / @areandbevintage / @mrnaturalz / Renew Physical Therapy 5620 Rainier Ave S / @lacedbyliv_ii / @emeraldcityfishchips / @yungfreckle
EDIT: Saba Ethiopian Cuisine is permanently closed. Nate’s Wings & Waffles is no longer owned by Nate and his family.
GREAT PNW BLACK ARTISTS YOU CAN SUPPORT TODAY
Today, June 5, Bandcamp is waiving their revenue share in order to help artists and labels impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This means that every purchase you make on the site today goes 100% towards the musicians and labels selling their wares. It’s a tremendous opportunity to support a creative community struggling with the financial devastation wrought by the pandemic.
Artist Home wholeheartedly believes Black Lives Matter. And with that truism in mind, we thought it’d be a perfect time to gather a list of some of the Pacific Northwest’s great black musicians and bands, currently offering their wares on Bandcamp.
Black Designers of Seattle
Are you a UX/UI Designer, Visual Designer, Art/Creative Director, or UX Researcher working at a Seattle area tech company? Are you Black and often wonder where all the Black designers are? This community is for you!
HERE Seattle
HERE seeks to attract ambitious and dynamic leaders who wish to further their professional and personal development. Your support makes possible the activities of a growing organization promoting the inclusion of underrepresented minorities in technology.
Assistance
Our Black community members have been leading the charge while suffering the injustices they’re fighting. Anyone under that kind of pressure should have options for emotionally support in a safe space.
Nappy Head Club: The Four Bodies: A Holistic Toolkit for Coping With Racial Trauma
by Jacquelyn Ogorchukwu
As a society, we often talk about racism, but rarely ever do we talk about how it affects the health of our people. I call racism “the multifaceted abuser” because it has emotional, physical, mental and spiritual effects on our community. Research shows that racism can lead to anxiety, depression, hypervigilance, chronic stress, chronic fatigue, bodily inflammation, internalized racism and symptoms similar to post traumatic stress disorder. This is called racial trauma.
Resources for Support
Tarana J. Burke shares, “Lots floating around for other folks to learn more about Black folks but Black folks actually need all kinds of support in this moment including learning and unpacking, joy and laughter, healing and peace.“
Black Designers of Seattle:
COming Together
Black Designers of Seattle will be creating a space for their Facebook group who want to come together for a Zoom meetup. There are no plans, no schedule, just a time for whatever is needed as a community. Zoom info will be sent out day of.
EDIT 6/6: This session has passed but click through to follow Black Designers of Seattle for more in the future.
Future For Us: Community Wellness Gathering for Womxn of Color
Join Future for Us for a healing night of music and poetry for womxn of color.
Music and poetry are art forms that heal our communities. As we continue to support the #BlackLivesMatter movement and champion for equity to impact change in our society, workplaces, and government, we need to invest in our humanity and rest.
EDIT 6/6: This session has passed but click through to follow Future For Us for more in the future.
Nourish: Virtual Grief Circles – BIPOC CommuNity Conversation
BIPOC Community Conversation about grief, loss, and resilience.
For Black & Brown communities, we are experiencing so much - anger, grief, sadness, fear for what is happening in the world. Moments of loss make us realize just how much we need each other. Communication is the key to mutual understanding. Grief circles are designed for members of the BIPOC community who ready to have conversations about the cycles of grief, the impact of anti-black racism, and resilience. Come prepared to share and speak your authentic truth.
EDIT 6/7: This session has passed but click through to follow Noruish for more in the future.
Womxn of Color in Tech : Wellness, Vitality, and Community
A virtual brunch to explore and discuss how we navigate wellness, vitality, and community as womxn of color.
Womxn of Color in Tech fosters womxn of color spaces to elevate the need for intentionality in building safe spaces for discussing our lived experiences with sexism, racism, homophobia, and transphobia specifically as business womxn; With the goal of sustaining workforce development & representation for womxn of color in industries that have historically boxed us in or left us out.
EDIT 6/8: This session has passed but click through to follow Womxn of Color in Tech for more in the future.
Navigating Workplace Microaggressions for Women of Color
by Jodi-Ann Burey
With workplaces closed across the country, working from home may have come as a welcomed relief for the many women of color who experience chronic racial stress from navigating racial microaggressions at work. These microaggressions can be reproduced virtually, as many workplaces have moved online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Join Jodi-Ann Burey for an interactive webinar to go through case study examples on the experiences women of color face at work and explore the options for managing your mindset and constructing an effective response. Participants are encouraged to share their own experiences.
(June session sold out)
July 16 + August 6, 12-1 pm