By now you’ve probably seen your favorite beauty brands post some kind of support on Instagram for the Black Lives Matter movement in the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hands of a white police officer. It could be a black box, resources of where to donate or a big donation themselves. But for many, this isn’t enough. Sharon Chuter, founder and CEO of Uoma Beauty, launched the #PullUporShutUp challenge to hold corporate brands accountable.
In a post to her Instagram account, Chuter explained why she started the challenge. “Over the last few days, we’ve seen something that’s never happened before,” she said. “With brands and corporations publically showing support for the Black Lives Matter movement including making huge donations, as well as going black yesterday. And for this we thank you. However, to at this point still be absolving yourself of the role you have played and continue to play on the marginalization of Black people, shows that a lot of these efforts may just be PR stunts.”
She’s asking these companies to release the number of Black people employed in both corporate and leadership roles. Chuter is also calling for consumers to not shop their favorite brands until the companies come forward.
As Chuter notes, Black people make up just eight percent of corporate roles in America and three percent of management roles, and the numbers are even worse when it comes to Black CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. Only four Black people in the US hold those roles.
So far, E.L.F. Cosmetics has majorly stepped up and released that its leadership team is 14 percent black and 45 percent diverse, with women in leadership roles. Milk Makeup posted its receipts, explaining that it plans to do better.
How will your favorite brands pull up? We’ll just have to wait to find out.