Adland talks a lot about diversity and inclusion.
It talks about wanting to make a difference.
But while I appreciate the intentions are genuine, the actions often aren’t.
Too many superficial acts designed to make us look good without actually doing much good.
Self-indulgent acts that are designed to change nothing but make us feel like heroes.
Pieces of work that tell people what they already know so we can claim we are ‘living our purpose’ at the next global conference get together where the loudest applause is for ourselves.
I wrote about this recently when I found out Cocoa Girl – the magazine for little girls of colour in the UK – was the FIRST magazine for little girls of colour in the UK.
The first!!!
Well here’s another example of how poor we are as an industry following through on what we so loudly and proudly claim.
The top of this post features one of the 26 billboards Oprah has purchased around Louisville, in the US.
For those who don’t know the story of Breanna Taylor, you can read it here … but in simple terms, it’s another case of US Police racism that resulted in another innocent African American being murdered with – initially – no implication on the officers involved.
[And then, after a huge protests, the officers involved were arrested but ended up facing a fraction of the justice they deserved … meaning it was another insult to the Taylor family]
This is a case that has shaken America and beyond.
This is a case that needed pressure putting on the authorities to investigate rather than look in another direction.
This is a case that showed again the deep disadvantage people of colour have in America and all over.
What Oprah did is amazing but I can’t help but think adland could have done this.
Should have done this.
But we didn’t.
And while I am pointing fingers at us, I’m also pointing them at myself … because if we are serious about D&I, it’s about doing things that are in the best interests of the people we want to connect with rather than making it all about what is easiest for us.
Or said another way:
We have to commit … rather than just show interest.
Go out of our way … rather than make others go out of theirs.
What this brilliant act by Oprah reminds me is that creative and cultural inspiration does not come from just looking at ourselves. If we want to survive, we can only do that by letting more diversity in and letting them thrive on their terms rather than ours.