As I’m going over the important updates I want to share with you, my heart is saddened by the passing of John Lewis, an American hero who changed this country. At the same time, I’m inspired by his words: “If you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have a moral obligation to do something about it.”
I am so grateful to have the opportunity to speak candidly to you about the work we’re doing internally and externally to support equity, diversity and inclusion. Being able to be a part of this long-term and much-needed change is just incredibly humbling and inspiring, and I’m honored to share this journey with you.
One of the first things we promised to improve upon was the diversity and inclusion in our affiliate program. With our most recent collection launch, we rolled out a new product seeding process that ensures diversity based on race, age, geography, and more. This, combined with the incredible diverse content creators we shared across our social media channels, resulted in a much more robust and inclusive launch. It was wonderful to hear from new voices in our community and to come together to inspire one another as we approach the most unusual back-to-school season yet.
Internally, we’re making strides with our Diversity & Inclusion Council. We recently finalized the roles and responsibilities of team members, with 38 team members (and counting) volunteering to fill the roles and take on the responsibilities of the council, which we organized into six teams:
- Education
- Brand
- Community Outreach
- HR
- External Partnership
- Tracking & Accountability
I can’t wait to share more about our D&I council and the progress we’re making in our next update. At that time, I also hope to introduce you to the phenomenal Black artists we’re partnering with to bring you a beautiful new collection that supports both the artists and a social justice cause close to their heart.
I look forward to continuing the conversation and sharing more progress in the coming weeks.
Tonia Misvaer, CEO
Comments are closed.