Making Changes in Design
image source: WIE Network
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
PODCASTS TO LISTEN TO
image source: NPR
BIPOC-OWNED DESIGN AND ARTIST ACCOUNTS TO FOLLOW
image source: Zou Xou Shoes
BOOKS TO READ
image source: The Conscious Kid
Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X Kendi (here’s a video of the authors discussing the book)
The Conscious Kid book subscriptions (age-geared children’s books that encourage diversity & inclusion)
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla Saad
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism by Robin DiAngelo
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Waking Up White, and Finding Myself in the Story of Race by Debby Irving
VIDEOS TO WATCH
image source: Vulture
ARTICLES TO READ
image source: Harper’s Bazaar