Why Retail Brands Must “Pull Up For Change”

Words by Romana Hai

Pull Up For Change Is Calling On All Brands To Address The Role They Play In White Supremacy
Pull Up For Change Is Calling On All Brands To Address The Role They Play In White Supremacy

Over the last couple of weeks, many brands have shared their messages of support, whether it be a short sentiment or a black square for #BlackOutTuesday, or both. Some even made one-time donations to charities that support the cause. While the acknowledgment of a much needed critical conversation is a step in the right direction, Sharon Chuter, founder, CEO, and creative director of Uoma Beauty, noticed that these one-off acts of support just wasn’t enough.

Chuter wants these brands to realize the direct impact they have on racial injustice and a simple social media post truly fails to enact real change. More needs to be done.

Upon this realization, Chuter called on these companies to essentially “pull up” by sharing the number of Black people they employ on a corporate level. The movement formally christened Pull Up For Change and quickly gained over 100K+ followers on Instagram.

The initiative gave brands 72 hours after posting their message of support to release the number of Black employees on staff. Chuter then asked for customers to refrain from making any purchases from these brands until those 72 hours were up and numbers were officially disclosed.

Since the launch of the movement, both small and large brands have risen up to the challenge. Benefit Cosmetics, Glossier, Kylie Cosmetics, L’Oréal, Ulta and Revlon were just some of the many brands to “pull up.”

The intent of Pull Up For Change is to allow brands to recognize where they stand today, how they can show up and do their part to drive positive change, while uniting as a community. The initiative drives that sentiment by first shining light on each companies current diversification employment breakdown and then encouraging them to “pull up” so that there are at least 10 percent Black employees in their workforce.

While not all brands that disclosed their numbers shared their long-term plans to rectify the problem, many companies said they are forming diversity and inclusion groups, working with agencies to recruit more Black talent and elevating more Black voices through both advertising and social media initiatives.

While Chuter credits part of the success of the movement to beauty influencers like Jackie Aina, who shared the message with her more than one million followers, Chuter believes this reckoning is necessary and needs to go far and wide — well beyond the beauty industry.

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