Sephora Becomes the First Brand to Take Aurora James’s 15% Pledge

When Aurora James founded the 15% Pledge, a nonprofit organization that asks retailers to commit to dedicating 15% of their inventory to Black-owned businesses, Sephora was one of the four major brands to whom she addressed the pledge on June 1. “Sephora is such a huge company, has so many stores, and is such a major touch point for so many women—and I also know how innovative they are,” James tells.

Together, James and Sephora have established a long-term commitment that will bring Black-owned beauty brands into Sephora’s stores and hold the retailer accountable for its pledge. “Part of why I created the 15% Pledge as an organization after I announced it as an idea was so that we could continue to stick around and actually hold them accountable and work with them in getting over the hiccups and the hangups that could come along the way.

Online, the announcement has resulted in a groundswell of support. “Sephora is such a huge business and their willingness to jump on board and do this in such a meaningful, holistic way really strips away the excuses that a lot of other retailers might have,” James says. “They are also committing to really sharing their strategies, methods, and goals publicly, so that will also lay a great roadmap for other companies to be able to follow.

Followers and supporters of the pledge can sign an online petition—James estimates it has almost 100,000 signatures so far—donate to the cause, and engage with and share @15percentpledge’s content. Meanwhile, James continues to support artisans around the world via her own business, Brother Vellies. “Doing this sort of thing puts a strain on me, emotionally,” she says. “Obviously I am still a Black person who is going through everything right now on the heels of a pandemic.

She continues, “I’m not going to stop, and anyone who is interested in talking in those companies, we welcome them reaching out. There are some conversations that are ongoing that I hope can turn into more exciting announcements in the future. This is really about standing up for economic equality and racial justice. People are like, ‘Well, it’s a lot of work.’ You know what? Black people in America have been working really hard for a really long time. I don’t think that’s an excuse.

Source: News Formal (newsformal.com)

Sephora And all she got was flowers? Ain't that a blip?

Sephora I prefer the products to be good not what color the business owner is.

Sephora Does any wonder why corporate America hasn’t already made these evaluations long before anarchy hit the streets in the name of StopPoliceBrutality ? Sephora exploiting black racial tensions for image boost. Doesn’t anyone else see through the BS?

AuroraJames Sephora Awesome!! I fell in love with Sephora on my last visit to New York. Maybe they will start shipping to the US Virgin Islands 😃

Sephora AuroraJames Brilliant I can’t say enough about this

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