Where are the Black Designers?
The murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement that followed became a watershed moment, not just in the United States but across the world. What strikes me most is not only what we see captured on camera, but all the moments we don't. Incidents that have been happening for centuries, rooted in a blatant racism that exists not just in American culture but in every culture, everywhere. If you believe otherwise, you are mistaken.
It feels different this time. The culmination of the Trump presidency, a global pandemic, and centuries of unaddressed injustice have converged into something that feels unstoppable. It is our duty to keep it that way, to push until we see real, tangible change and not another bandaid.
A designer's role in social justice movements has expanded well beyond protest posters. Designers now create digital tools and data visualizations that mobilize causes, connect people across the world, and inspire policy change. Nowhere is this better exemplified than with Black Lives Matter, a civil rights movement born on the internet.
Black designers make up just 3% of the AIGA's 2019 Design Census. At Hearst, a company with a historically white and male leadership, our internal experience design team has been working hard to be part of the change. I am proud that our team is the most diverse on the floor, with more women than men and more designers of color than white designers. At the start of this movement, we formalized our unspoken values into a living document and distributed it internally. We also founded #IDEAL, a group centered on Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Action, and Leadership, a space for information, discussion, and accountability. You are welcome to view that document here and use it as a starting point.
We have also committed to filling open roles on our team with Black designers first, and designers of color second. When hiring, I have always prioritized women and minorities, knowing the odds are already stacked against them. Formalizing that commitment gave our team a shared accountability to carry forward.
This is a time to educate ourselves, to learn, to unlearn, and to show up as allies in whatever way we can. Donating, protesting, having hard conversations, shifting even one more prejudice. Some days the weight of it all makes doing anything feel impossible. I have felt that way too. But what I keep coming back to is this: even a single dollar, one honest conversation, one small shift in perspective can contribute to something much larger. And even if it doesn't, you tried. That is all any of us can keep doing.
The resources below are ones I have found genuinely useful on my own journey, some within design, others beyond it. I hope they are as valuable to you as they have been 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.
White Guyde To The Galaxy: 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.
