Sephora Paves the Way for More Diversity With 15% Pledge
Sephora has become the first major retailer stepping up its game in the fight against racial disparities by endorsing the 15% pledge.
The pledge was started by Aurora James, who is the creative director of the sustainable accessories brand Brother Vellies and a prominent promoter of Black beauty brands. The initiative urges major retailers to uplift Black businesses by increasing their supplies of Black-owned products to at least 15%.
Why 15%? Around 15% of America’s total population is Black, so the aim is to highlight amazing Black-owned businesses to ensure they are fairly represented by major brands.
Aurora spotlighted several other retail giants to step up to movement including Target, Whole Foods, and Net-a-Porter – but Sephora is the first major company to endorse it. Taking to Instagram, the company released a statement, “We recognize how important it is to represent Black businesses and communities, and we must do better. So, we’re starting now.”
Laying out the actions they’ll take to support the cause, Sephora promised to utilize their female business program ‘Accelerate’ to highlight businesses owned by women of color. While the makeup magnate is moving in the right direction towards long-term equality, many people are pointing out that 15% leaves a lot more room for Black brands on the shelves.
As an equity advisor for @Sephora, im pleased to see them be the first beauty company to take the 15% pledge. It’s just a start and they acknowledge much work is to be done. They are also focusing on being more WoC into their Accelerate incubator program. pic.twitter.com/qIgrKc8T8h
— FJ says “Remember #BreonnaTaylor” (@FeministaJones) June 10, 2020
We can all help drive change by lending our voice to causes like #Pledge15%. Let’s take to social media and urge companies to take the pledge so we can see equal representation in retail and beyond.
