Puerto Rican supermodel Joan Small wants the fashion world to know : black people are not a trend. Smalls shared an Instagram video calling out the lack of meaningful anti-racist support for the Black Lives Matter movement from the industry she’s embedded in.
By posting pictures of black squares on social media with surface-level promises pledging change, Smalls believes agencies, magazines and brands are jumping on a bandwagon. “You’re part of the cycle that perpetuates these conscious behaviours,” she says in the clip filmed in a hotel room in Paris. “You have continually let us down with your insensitivity and tone deafness and the damage control apologies of, ‘We will do better’. You fall short trying to narrate our stories by toning us down or having them curated by people who haven’t walked or lived a day in our shoes. Well, it’s now time to give us a real seat at the table, because we are worthy, because we are talented, because we are unique.” Smalls thanked those creatives who do “see” her, and who have helped the model in her “constant battle” to progress in an industry where the odds are stacked against her. She then addressed her own ability to be a force for change – one who intends to use actions as well as honest words. Smalls, pledged to give 50 per cent of her salary for the remainder of 2020 to Black Lives Matter organisations, and will encourage others to do the same. “Together we’re stronger and together we can accomplish what is needed.” It’s time for others to stand with her.
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