Hi everyone,
I wanted to update you all on what’s going on behind-the-scenes at Ethical Influencers the moment. Last week I posted about Allyship and subsequently muted the Ethical Influencers IG to make space for more important communications on Black Lives Matter and voices in the BIPOC community.
It is honestly a joy to run Ethical Influencers, but I’m acutely aware of my responsibility in keeping it so that the platform benefits everyone, especially smaller creators. I’m crucially aware that our 700-strong community is a diverse one, and I hope that the platform is experienced as an inclusive and welcoming space.
I have made a donation to Black Lives Matter on behalf of the platform and myself, and am self-educating on how to continue my allyship, both personally and as an online space. Our membership is and always will be free, and open to any size creator so long as their content fits. However, I do recognise that despite removing certain barriers to entry, we could do more to reach more diverse people online.
Early on, I consulted with a few people who specialise in inclusive communications, and actioned their advice. I have since reached out to a similar organisation to potentially partner with, which I will tell you about in due course.
In the meantime, if you feel that there is room for improvement, please do reach out – I welcome your feedback and will of course continue my work to improve the platform as the community sees fit!
We will be returning to posting on the Ethical Influencers IG as normal from today, and in doing so I wanted to highlight two things:
- I share member photos in chronological order from when people signed up, so it is fair and unbiased, but at times can seem lacking in diversity (I would welcome any ideas to make this better)
- The quotes and statistics I share are prepared in advance, so I apologise if anyone thinks there has been a delay/silence around BLM and support from Ethical Influencers, which should be rectified from today.
Thank you all once again for joining this platform, and for your continued support in promoting environmentalism, social justice, and positivity, in your own authentic ways.
– Besma (Founder)
Learning from Black Creators & Anti-Racism Resources
As an addition to this letter, I wanted to share links to the creators and organisations that have provided a foundation of learning for me on matters of anti-racism and supporting the Black Lives Matter movement in recent times:
- Afua Hirsch’s book, Brit(ish)
- Aja Barber
- Black Lives Matter Network
- The Conscious Kid
- From Privilege to Progress
- Gal-dem Magazine
- Leah Thomas
- Mikaela Loach
- Mireille Charper
- Munroe Bergdorf
- Rachel Cargle & The Love Land Foundation
- Reclaim The Block
- Reni Eddo Lodge & About Race Podcast
- Slow Factory Foundation
- The Unapologetically Brown Series
- Yazzie Min & Stand For Humanity
Places to Donate
And finally, alongside self-education, if you can, please also donate to charities such as Black Lives Matter, Minnesota Freedom Fund, National Bail Fund Network, and Reclaim The Block.
