Our Plan to Support the Black Community
/We have developed a clear, action based plan for being better allies and showing tangible support for the black community in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. And we are spelling it out today. As Gray Oak Studio grows each year, we will look back on this plan, we will hold ourselves accountable and we will make bigger and better plans. We want our family/friends/followers/clients/colleagues/vendors (EVERYONE) to know that we aren’t just passionate about design, we’re passionate about creating a business that we can be proud of on all levels.
1. We will continue to amplify black voices.
We know that putting a black square on our Instagram feed and staying silent for a week to make way for black content creators to be seen and heard is great. We also know that this must be a day-to-day practice and not a one time effort. We have always featured noteworthy creatives on our Instagram stories, paying close attention to those accounts with less than 10k followers. We will now also pay close attention to those accounts with black content creators. Our shoutouts will be thoughtfully and purposefully diverse.
2. We will specify vendors who have shown tangible support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
Like you, we have been paying attention to those who have shown loud and clear messages of anti-racism. We have been happy and hopeful to see so many. Here are a few examples:
Interior Define has put together a concrete plan to diversify the makeup of their workforce and will close their offices on Election Day to make it easy for their employees to vote for change.
Framebridge has created three working groups to support black artists, partner with change-driven organizations and create internships for persons of color.
Brooklinen has donated money to Black Lives Matter, Campaign Zero and Act Blue Bail Funds as well as matched donations by their employees. They also created a publicly accessible list of anti-racism resources.
We will purposefully specify these vendors for our projects. We want to partner with and support companies that have social justice policies in line with our own. Please share any company who has impressed you with a powerful anti-racism message and plan in the comments below. We want to add them to our list.
3. We will feature a furnishing/item of decor/etc. from a black owned business in every project.
We are also compiling a list of black owned companies, black artists and black artisans. Every Gray Oak Studio project will feature at least one black owned business. Whether it’s the paint on the walls (Clare.com), the upholstery fabric (Bole Road Textiles) or the soap…in a beautiful dish by the sink (Simply Good Soap), we will take time to shout out the product and tell you about the artist/shop/creator.
Stay healthy, stay informed, and stay tuned…we have A LOT of amazing projects to share over the next few weeks.
- Leah + Sonia
