5 Things / increase access
This week I learned that Target committed to spending more than $2 billion with Black-owned businesses by 2025.
Not only will Target add products from more than 500 Black-owned brands to its shelves (increasing access to Target customers) -- but the company will also increase procurement spend with Black-owned businesses. This means that Target will proactively seek to hire Black-owned businesses for services such as advertising and construction. Target is also creating a program for start-ups led by Black entrepreneurs to help them develop, test and scale products to sell at mass retailers.
These commitments are designed squarely to increase Black-owned businesses' access to customer and corporate spending. These commitments are designed to increase Black wealth. This matters because the racial wealth gap is real.
These actions are ones you can easily adapt for your own organization, starting with spend. These are ways you get Inclusive 360 (that's the name of my forthcoming book, btw!), beyond just changing HR policies.
Here are some other good vibes I found this week:
United Airlines is hiring 10,000 new pilots by 2030 and at least half will be hired from their own recently purchased flight academy. The company aims to have 50% of the spots at the academy held by women and people of color with scholarships available. This matters because these goals attempt to create more equitable access and systems -- and they're public so United can be held accountable.
The investment firm BlackRock agreed to a racial audit which analyzes business practices and models to determine if they contribute to racial inequities. This is significant because it comes in response to a shareholder request. Other major banks have explicitly asked their shareholders to vote down requests for racial audits. This matters because the independent audit will surely reveal racial inequities which contribute to the racial wealth gap. BlackRock will then have no choice but to correct them.
There's a new app to help people with autism shop. The app MagnusCards, will be first launched at Trader Joe's. The app provides digital card decks that help users navigate through overwhelming tasks and activities -- like grocery shopping. This matters because it helps people with autism have a more comfortable and safe shopping experience.
The World Federation of Advertisers launched an open-source diversity guide for marketers.This guide is set up as a series of questions around representation and inclusion to consider through every step of the creative process. It's designed to challenge marketers to avoid stereotypes and consider representation. This matters because human bias is baked into everything, and these questions (if systemized for use by an agency) will encourage more inclusive thinking, and yield more inclusive marketing.
Image by University of California