Simple steps everyone can take to begin engaging the black community

Reminders of systemic racism chime daily for those directly affected. For others, seemingly isolated incidents thrust the conversation on race back into the national consciousness. Most recently, the death of George Floyd forced many of us to spend the past three weeks processing our feelings, evaluating our own behavior and maybe even playing back old traumas in our heads. Doing the work of consciously analyzing who you are and why you are the way you are is an empowered position that leads to radical self-awareness.

Brands, too, have had to turn within. Companies large and small are reflecting on policies and practices, while simultaneously creating forums to have conversations on race. Brands are being held accountable in new ways and now realize that public statements are not the end punctuation to a short sentence. Instead, they should serve as the first in a series of dominoes to create a movement toward a collectively higher tolerance of racial and cultural differences.

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