Where are the Black Designers?
The Black Lives Matter movement started with the murder of George Floyd and has become a watershed moment, here in the United States and all over the world. Time and time again, we see these atrocities on the news and what’s startling to me is all the moments we don’t get to see captured on camera. Incidents that have been happening again and again for centuries on end. Blatant racism that exists so deeply not just in American culture but in all cultures - all over the world. If you believe otherwise, then you’re mistaken. It feels different this time, right? Maybe, hopefully, this will be the time we see change. The culmination of The Trump presidency along with the height of a pandemic has brewed an unstoppable movement and its our duty to keep it going till we see a tangible shift in the culture and not another bandaid taped on.
A designer’s role in social justice movements is no longer relegated to drawing protest posters. Designers can create digital tools and data visualizations that help shape and mobilize a cause. They can use visual communication to connect people across the world, orchestrate action, and inspire policy changes. Nowhere is this better exemplified than with Black Lives Matter, the civil rights movement born on the Internet to protest police brutality. (Read Full Article)
Black Designers only make 3% of the total Design Census - a project undertaken by the AIGA in 2019. At Hearst, even though it is no surprise that the company is historically white and male led - our internal experience design team is doing everything we can to mobilize and create awareness and change. I am proud to say that our team is the most diverse team on the floor. We not only have more women on the team than men but we also have more designers of color vs. white designers. At the start of this movement we decided to formalize some of our ‘unspoken values’ into a living breathing document and distribute it internally within the company. We also founded a group called #IDEAL - Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Action, Leadership. A place to go for information, discussions, project updates, ideas for Hearst Newspapers Digital to more actively and consciously do better. I welcome you to take a look at our document here and use as a starting point if you’d like.
Another item we’ve committed to is filling the open heads on our team with only Black Designers (primarily) or Designers of Color (secondarily). When hiring I always opt to hire a) Women and b) Minorities - because I know inevitably they have a harder deck of cards to play. It was good to formalize the commitment within our team and have accountability as we progress further in our careers.
This is a time to educate ourselves, learn, unlearn and to be an ally in whichever way we possibly can. Whether its by donating, protesting, speaking — any way we can shift the needle, we must try. Sometimes with the constant pain and hurt going on in the world - every single day - doing anything can actually feel debilitating and useless. I’ve definitely felt that way. Because what are we but just a tiny little voice, right? Who would even listen? But what I’ve learnt (or continue to learn) is that even a single dollar, a short conversation, just one more prejudice being shifted can amount to a change on a grand scale. And honestly, even if it doesn’t - you tried and thats all we can keep doing.
The purpose of this post is to shed light on some of the helpful resources I’ve found on my journey. Some within the design industry and others, beyond. I hope these are as useful and valuable to you as they are to me.
Design
AIGA: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Design
Design Cenus 2019 Powerful data project by Antionette D. Carroll
Black Creatives and Where to Find Them
Where are the Black Designers:Talk by Maurice Cherry
Black Designers Missing In Action — Article by Cheryl D. Miller
Black In Design — Biannual Conference
An Oral History of the Organization of Black Designers — Article by Sela Lewis
HUE Design Summit — Annual Conference
Education
1619
An audio series from The Times observing the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery.
8 Lessons About Racism
A great Instagram resource by Jen Winston, eight lessons about racism that were helpful to her as a white person.
Anti-Racism Resources
A Google doc compiled by Sarah Sophie Flicker and Alyssa Klein in May 2020. It is intended to serve as a resource to white people and parents to deepen our anti-racism work.
Books (via Tatiana Mac)
An Indigenous People’s History of the United State, Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
How To Be Antiracist, Ibram X Kendi
How To Be Less Stupid About Race, Crystal M Fleming
So You Wanna Talk About Race, Ijeoma Oluo
The New Jim Crow, Michelle Alexander
They Were Her Property, Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers
White Fragility, Robin Di’Angelo (white author)
White Tears, Brown Scars, Ruby Hamad
Why I’m No Longer Talking About Race, Reni Eddo-Lodge
Movies & Clips (via Tasha K. Ryals)
#1619 Project Interview with Hannah Jones
Campaign Zero Interview on MSNBC
I Am Not Your Negro
Fruitvale Station
Race: The Power Of Illusion
American Son
How Studying Privilege Systems Can Strengthen Compassion
Mudbound
Black Feminism & The Movement For Black Lives
The Hate U Give
Black Lives Matter Foundation
A global organization in the US, UK, and Canada, whose mission is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes.
Creative Ecoystems & Funds
A spreadsheet by Annika Hansteen-Izora prioritising creative ecosystems and funds that support Black queer, trans, and nonbinary folks, and Black women.
Donate
Black Lives Matter
Communities United Against Police Brutality
I Run With Maud
Official George Floyd Memorial Fund
The NAACP Legal Defense Fund
The Minnesota Freedom Fund
Racial and Social Justice 101
A recorded webinar to act as an educational resource for organizations and individuals seeking to deepen both their professional and personal practices toward centering those who navigate society from its margins. Instructed by Ericka Hart.
Save the Tears: White Woman’s Guide
If you’re a white woman who is watching the world burn because of police murder against Black people, and you don’t know what to do, Tatiana Mac wrote you a guide.
Shareable Anti-Racism Resource Guide
The most comprehensive guide I was able to find and originally crafted amidst the anger of the black body turned hashtag #AhmaudArbery. Please consider paying Tasha K. Ryals (Venmo @tatortash) for doing this work for you!
Stop saying “All Lives Matter”
A fantastic Instagram post explaining why saying “All Lives Matter” is not helpful, problematic and wrong by Jess Bird.
The Conscious Kid
An educational nonprofit that equips parents and educators with tools they can use to support racial identity development, critical literacy, and equitable practices in their homes and classrooms.
If you are a white guy and you don’t know what to do beyond donating and being quiet, Tatiana Mac made you a list.
