…and February only, to be clear.
This one is for the Black guys, gals, gays, and theys who know that unwaning support from our favorite corporate “friends” comes around once a year. The LGBTQ+ get the month of June, jam-packed with endless rainbow-remixed logos and 30 straight days of faux corporate allyship. After powering through the annual “why do we need a Black History Month in the first place” complaints, February is to be enjoyed by the Black community, complete with half-a**ed history lessons and an increased selection of items offered in African print.
The problem is that the targeting of these underrepresented groups in their respective months of appreciation is rarely genuine. When a company sees that a lot of green follows a black fist or rainbow flag logo, they have no problem putting profit over people. After all, most have the singular goal of making the most amount of money possible with little regard (outside legality) of how it’s done.
Corporate social responsibility (CSR), however, has become a larger aspect of consumer consideration. For many, it is now an expectation, not a recommendation, that corporations pursue a better, more progressive tomorrow. Though a corporation taking a stance may still have positive or negative economic ramifications depending on how it may be received by the market, a firm greatly benefits through its humanization.
The problem is CSR has become a cop-out for the pursuit of new target markets, regressing back to the original goal of profit-maximization under a smokescreen of inclusivity and social welfare. Those who celebrate Black Power or Pride are constantly pandered to but rarely protected or uplifted. When their struggles are no longer exploitable and the month comes to an end, it seems that the corporate responsibility to uphold their previously demonstrated “values” follows suit.
This pattern of corporate performative activism is quite easily avoidable. While it’s almost laughable how so many seem to fall so short every year, the superficial support at the expense of the suppressed is not. The solution?
Commit fully or not at all.
If not a single penny of profit goes to aiding the growth of the Black community or encouraging an efficient education of Black history, there should be no attempts of advertising for Black History Month in the first place. The role that corporations take in social issues is truly subjective, but I’d personally rather skip the bull and buy a generic product that isn’t feigning concern for an issue while garnering money off of it.
At the end of the day, telling a corporation how to make their money is harder than telling an individual how to spend it. Pessimistically (though probably realistically), a corporate powerhouse will not make big changes for a small group of people. Optimistically, however, that small group together can make their own changes. For those who want to genuinely show support, think about what actions will directly affect the groups you’re attempting to support. Find ways to support the LGBT community during Pride and try diving deeper into African-American history or buying from a Black-owned business this Black History Month. Perhaps it’s time to accept that corporate allyship is a catastrophe and consider our own social responsibilities instead.