Last week, yet another unarmed black man—this time, by the name of George Floyd—became a victim of police brutality. And we all watched from our quarantined spaces as the pain, anger, and heartbreak of injustice in the U.S. that has been weighing on black communities for centuries officially reached a tipping point… and sparked a shift in online activism and fighting social injustice unlike anything we’ve seen before. One that has started to hold everyone accountable—from our friends, to our family members, to the brands that we buy from.
Conflict is uncomfortable for everyone—especially for brands, who historically have remained neutral in times of unrest. But moving forward, it’s our responsibility as content professionals to use our company’s platform to take a stand, make a difference, and drive real change.
The year 2020 was already about to go down in history. It’s up to us to make sure it’s the right side of history, by building a “new normal” that we’re proud of. Here are some ways you can use the power of video to join the fight:
1. Take a stand (and put your money where your mouth is)
At this point, there is no excuse for anyone (person, or brand) to stay silent about the centuries-long mistreatment of black lives. We can all start fighting social injustice by posting a video in support of this movement, like this one we created for our own Instagram, is a great place to start:
Keep in mind that this step is only the bare minimum. Your audience will be paying attention to how you follow up with real actions—actions that contribute to making real change. At Wibbitz, for instance, we’ve decided to match all donations that our employees make to any of the following groups fighting social injustice:
Color of Change
As a national online force driven by 1.7 million members, we move decision-makers in corporations and government to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America. >> Donate Here
The Marshall Project
A nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization that seeks to create and sustain a sense of national urgency about the U.S. criminal justice system. We achieve this through award-winning journalism, partnerships with other news outlets and public forums. >> Donate Here
Campaign Zero
This data-informed platform presents comprehensive solutions to end police violence in America. It integrates community demands and policy recommendations from research organizations and President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing. >> Donate Here
Black Table Arts
Gathering black communities through the arts, towards better black futures. We organize black artists building community power, educate our communities, and create spaces for leadership to thrive. >> Donate Here
Black Visions Collective
We aim to center our work in healing and transformative justice principles, intentionally develop our organizations core “DNA” to ensure sustainability, and develop Minnesota’s emerging Black leadership to lead powerful campaigns. >> Donate Here
National Bail Fund Network
Every day, community bail & bond funds raise money to free our friends and neighbors from local and county jails as well as immigration jails. This is always urgent work as jails, prisons, and immigration jails have always been sites of violence and death. >> Donate Here
The Liberty Fund
Dedicated to reducing the number of New Yorkers subjected to unnecessary pretrial detention while simultaneously providing much needed social services to this population. We will achieve this by providing bail and case management services to any qualifying client throughout the pendency of their court case. >> Donate Here
Click here to see some of the other donation initiatives that leading companies have put in place this week.
2. Provide resources & inform your community
For anyone with a job in communications, it is our responsibility to educate our audience as much as possibles—with information that is relevant to their specific challenges and needs. This is no different when it comes to fighting social injustice. Here’s a great video resource created by our customer Meredith for Parents.com, to give their readers actionable advice and talking points for raising anti-racist children at any age:
If you’re already a Wibbitz customer, here’s a helpful Top Story video resource that is already available in the Studio to quickly rebrand and share with your audience:
3. Amplify black voices (and provide a call to action for others to do the same)
At the end of the day, this movement and question of how can we fight injustice is not about building clout for your brand. It’s about doing your part to make sure black voices are heard, celebrated, and supported, so that we can soon live in a world where “black lives matter” isn’t considered a political statement – it’s just a given. So with that said, make sure to watch (and share) this video by activist Gisele Smith, to learn how you, your employees, and anyone else in your network can make a difference during this critical moment in history:
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