She Said #PullUpOrShutUp: What You, As An Influencer, Can Do To Support The Black Community.

As Talent Managers, we’ve always been particular about the brand’s our talent partner with. But, we were stunned and disappointed by the news of what brands we’d sat down for meetings with were doing behind closed doors. And, the jaw dropping stories kept-on coming because Sharon Chuter is an absolute FORCE to be reckoned with. 

The Founder of UOMA Beauty quit her corporate job after seeing too many product launches go by, making it clear that some organizations simply weren’t interested in taking real action to bring true diverse inclusivity to their product innovation. She went into focus mode and launched her own beauty company with 108 products that would live in 203 Ulta stores and Selfridges. Sharon sees UOMA Beauty as a form of activism with hopes of creating “a home for all the misfits, everybody who’s ever felt left out”. Watch her tell her story here.

Following the heartbreaking murder of George Floyd, hundreds of brands began expressing their support of the Black Lives Matter Movement. Sharon called for them to show up with their actions. Often the token Black woman in her corporate employment, Sharon saw first hand how some organizations were happily accepting dollars from marginalized groups without supporting them economically. She launched her #PullUpOrShutUp transparency exercise first within her own brand, then challenged others to pull up with their talks of supporting the Black community. When so many of the brands failed to meet minimum diversity standards within their organizations, they were met with backlash and boycotts. A momentum of Influencers and ex-employees calling BS and sharing their poor experiences flooded our timelines day after day. 

So where do you, the content creator, stand in all of this? Are you cheering from the sidelines or are you suited up? Are you willing to ask the tough questions that might result in turning down paid opportunities?

We are all important contributors to the marketing and social media spaces with the power to decide and enforce standards that demand diverse inclusivity on all fronts. Through transparency and accountability, we can ingrain diverse representation, equal opportunity, and equal pay into the communities we’re a part of. It’s never too late, you can start with the next DM or email you receive from a brand. 

While Sharon continues to use her voice on the @PullUpForChange page, we’ve created an email template you can use to professionally ask brand’s who haven’t pulled up yet to join in. By making their participation to #PullUpOrShutUp a mandatory requirement of your consideration, you get to raise the bar and ensure only brands worthy of your community's dollars have a place on your platforms. 

Get the email template HERE.

The next step is a little stickier, because it involves conversations around gifting and paid opportunities. As a Black content creator, do you know what you’re going to say to a PR or paid offer from a brand that had little to no Black people employed within their organization? What about Non-Black content creators, do you know how you're going to actively support equal opportunity and diversity representation? 

In our DMs and Q&A’s, many of you shared your fears around communicating with brands to us. So, we created this guide on Navigating Brand Conversations in the #PullUpOrShutUp Climate to empower and support you through this journey. Equipped with checklists, techniques and email templates this resource has everything you’ll need to approach this topic with confidence for only $37. We wanted to make an accessible resource that can support you, our community, and organizations tirelessly fighting for justice and deep systemic change. We're donating 100% of the profits from this guide and you get to decide which of these three incredible organizations to support. The Grassroots Law Project, Campaign Zero or NAACP.

Get your copy HERE. 

Remember that you are the force behind someone’s decision to spend their hard earned money, for some their last $20, on a product to treat themselves. Let it be on a brand that is committed to improving the world in ways that matter.