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By Adriana Withers
VC Ultimate unequivocally believes in and supports the Black Lives Matter movement
This said, we will not sell any BLM apparel. I made this decision on June 17th, 3 weeks after the murder of George Floyd and the reigniting of protests for Black lives around the world.
Like many, I had been completely absorbed with self-education and reflection on how to be an anti-racist, and how to use my platform with VC to support Black Lives Matter and the fight for social justice. Fundraising through apparel sales is something we are very familiar with – and our competitors were sure to do this – but it didn't feel right to me.
Then, I came across a post on Instagram by Nia Marie (@niamarie_33) that solidified that decision.
HOW IT WORKS
Like with most things, we have to look at the full picture. There's much more to it than just donating "profits"...
You can follow Nia Marie on Instagram here and support through Venmo to @niapatterson or PayPal to @niamarie33.
The rest of the post hit me like a ton of bricks. It spoke to the core of the recent learning I had done about white supremacy: it's not only about not being a racist yourself, but about actively dismantling the systems of racism that exist and that I, as a white person, benefit from.
Yes, I could launch a BLM campaign with all of the best "altruistic" intentions, but it would still benefit me, a white person, and the business that I own.
I am sharing this important fact because multiple friends and community members have asked if we have, or will have, Black Lives Matter fundraising apparel available through VC. I appreciate them knowing it's statement VC would fully stand behind, and I hope that our community trusts us to have the best intentions with the campaigns that we do participate in and support. But it's time that we, as a community, manage our impact and learn to move past good intentions.
If you're looking for great BLM apparel to wear to support the fight, please check out Black Lives Matter for apparel. Other reccomendations:
If you'd like to share your favourite Black-owned shop selling apparel, please do so in the comments below.
Thanks for reading,
Adriana
*****
Adriana Withers
CEO, VC Ultimate Inc.
adriana@vcultimate.com
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