The past two weeks in America have been both heartbreaking and hopeful. The recent wave of activism and civil discourse meant we could no longer look away from the everyday injustices Black Americans face in our society.
Our team gathered to talk about how we can work to make Simply Framed the company we want to be. It was clear from our conversation that all of us believe there is deep systemic racism in society, and that as a company—and as individuals—we can be doing more. Through inaction, we are part of the problem.
Illustration by George McCalman.
Although we are a small team, we have the power to make changes in how we actively support artists, communities, and all people of color.
- We donated to four prominent organizations working to end systemic racism. We have also called upon our community to recommend other causes to give an additional ten $100 donations. We've gotten an amazing response and learned of so many organizations doing this work, which we intend to share with you in the coming weeks.
- We are also looking closely at how we operate as a company to support more diversity and take action beyond donations. As our team continues to grow, we will execute an internal review of how we can improve policies to increase the diversity of our team.
- We are so proud to work with many artists of color, but we know this group is underrepresented both as customers and in the artwork we feature on our blog and social channels. We commit to showcasing and telling the stories of more artists, photographers, and interior designers of color. Additionally, we will further amplify and support the voices of all our artist partners who are protesting injustice.
- We are also starting a new not-for-profit project supporting organizations that are working to dismantle the deep systemic racism that exists in our culture. If you’re an artist (or curator) and you’d like to be involved, send us an email at hello@simplyframed.com
We have a lot of work to do, and we know people's lives depend on it. It is encouraging to see many other companies and individuals taking action, and we are hopeful that we're moving towards meaningful change.