The past few months have been nothing short of a total upheaval. We’ve all faced fear and challenges with shelter-in-place orders and the ever-present coronavirus, and then recently, the murder of George Floyd and the ensuing wave of protests across the nation have left us shocked and simultaneously filled with a need to make sweeping changes for the better.

Though I usually take each month to feature some element of design inspiration, I’ve been completely submerged in reflection the past few weeks, trying to confront my own inherent biases and come to terms with the amount of privilege in my life. It’s been a huge learning curve and I’m realizing more than ever just how blind I was to so much happening in the world around me. For that, I am deeply sorry.

I recently shared a video two Friday Five’s ago from Oshetta Moore, who discusses the three things key to moving forward for the White community (without co-opting the conversation and making it all about them), and that is to embrace these three sentiments: I’m sorry, I’m listening, and I’m learning. With that in mind, this week’s newsletter is dedicated to just that. If you’re wondering where to start or who to follow to find more information about becoming anti-racist and doing positive work as an ally, we’ve compiled a list of several books, podcasts, and more that have been recommended to us as of late.

As we continue to dive into these resources and figure out how to do the work to make the world a better place, we are also beginning to lay the groundwork for more inclusive practice all around in our business. We featured five amazing Black designers in last week’s Friday Five (something we intend to continue to do in the future), and we’re brainstorming ways that we can take a more intentional approach to choosing a diverse array of vendors to work with and recommend, and how to champion not just White people within the design community, but to also give BIPOC voices prominence.

The work has just begun, and it won’t be easy or perfect - we’ll certainly make mistakes along the way - but we are committed to listening, learning, and changing our daily practices as we go. We will of course continue to offer interior design inspiration as we always have, but our goal is to be inclusive through it all and to put awareness at the forefront of all that we do.

If you have additional recommendations to add to this growing list, please share - we would love to read and listen.

Xo,

Laura