Hallmark: Mahogany
Mahogany is a Hallmark brand introduced in 1987 whose editorial staff and writing community comprise Black women. Similar to Hallmark, Mahogany offers cards, books, home décor, and as of 2022, movies as well. According to their website: “For over 30 years, Mahogany has been committed to connecting, celebrating and uplifting Black people by honoring what’s unique about Black culture.”
Pinterest: Skin tone, body type and hair texture features
The well-known social platform Pinterest has been making strides to offer more inclusive search features. For far too long, Black users have had to modify their searches to find relevant content. For example, instead of typing in “short hairstyles for men,” they’ve had to search “short hairstyles for Black men.” Or instead of simply searching “blue eyeshadow,” they’ve had to search “blue eyeshadow for Black women” because the majority of search results yield non-Black models and/or examples that do not cater to diverse users. Now, Pinterest enables users to search by skin tone, body type and hair pattern, which creates a much easier and more inclusive user experience.
The Knot: Black Artist Collective
The popular wedding website, The Knot, has a dedicated section of their wedding invitation and collection offerings called the Black Artist Collective. Each collection is accompanied by a headshot and a brief artist bio, as well as contact information and social media handles so users are able to further support these artists.
TSET: SYF Black Americans and TSWM Shapeshifter Black Americans
Shape Your Future (SYF) and Tobacco Stops With Me (TSWM) are programs of The Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) that work to help make Oklahoma healthier. A recent TSWM campaign aimed to reach Black Americans specifically and bring awareness to the tobacco industry’s manipulation and harmful targeting of this community, while SYF launched a campaign that offers resources to help those from marginalized or underrepresented communities find ways to eat better and live healthier lifestyles that work for them.
In addition to brands, Black influencers and entrepreneurs within the marketing industry are also making an impact this Black History Month. According to an Ad Age article, “Social media content uploaded by 300 Black influencers in the lifestyle, fashion and gaming spaces carried a much higher ‘media value,’ which the report bases on the total audience a creator’s social media content reaches and the average amount of engagement that content receives.” Here are a few Black influencers who are making waves in the industry.
Carlton Mackey
Carlton Mackey, the creator of Black Men Smile (@blackmensmile), has over 95K followers on Instagram alone. According to their website,“Black Men Smile is a lifestyle apparel brand and community-building conduit with this mission: Amplifying the Revolutionary Power of Black Joy.” They are also an exclusive partner for the 2024 Black History Collection at Target.
Luvvie Jones
A four-time New York Times bestselling author and the presenter of the viral TED Talk “Get Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable,” Luvvie Jones is an activist with a background in marketing and digital strategy who promotes Black-owned businesses through her campaign partnerships and highlights marginalized voices on her podcast.
Jamia Ramsey
Jamia Ramsey is a Forbes “Next 1000” list entrepreneur and the founder of Blendz Apparel, a flesh-tone dancewear and shoe brand that stemmed from the lack of representation of Black dancers and the need for dancewear that matched their complexion. According to Blendz, their hope is for every dancer to be able to embrace their uniqueness by having apparel and shoes that cater to their skin tone.
This is just a small list of brands and influencers who are making strides toward inclusivity and impacting the Black community not just during 28 or 29 days, but 365 days a year.
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