15 Percent Pledge

The murder of George Floyd sparked a wave of activism for the Black Lives Matter movement that renewed calls for social justice reform and the end of systemic racism, and included declarations of support from various corporations;{{cite news |last1=Fraser |first1=Kristopher |title=Will Aurora James' 15 Percent Pledge Help Start a Black Retail Revolution? |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/will-aurora-james-15-percent-pledge-help-start-a-black-retail-revolution |access-date=21 June 2021 |work=The Daily Beast |date=June 21, 2020}} according to TIME Magazine, James wanted to "find a way that companies could make a tangible change," and "from there, the 15 Percent Pledge was born."

James launched the initiative called the 15 Percent Pledge{{cite web |last1=Kent |first1=Sarah |last2=Lieber |first2=Chavie |title=Designer Aurora James Calls on Retailers to Commit to Black-Owned Businesses |url=https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/retail/george-floyd-minneapolis-black-fashion-designers-aurora-james |website=Business of Fashion |date=May 31, 2020 |access-date=16 December 2020}} with an Instagram post on May 29, 2020, that tagged Barnes & Noble, Home Depot, MedMen, Net-a-Porter, Saks Fifth Avenue, Sephora, Target, Walmart, and Whole Foods. James wrote on Instagram: "So many of your businesses are built on Black spending power. So many of your stores are set up in Black communities. So many of your sponsored posts are seen on Black feeds. This is the least you can do for us. We represent 15% of the population and we need to represent 15% of your shelf space."{{cite news |last1=Samaha|first1=Barry|title=Aurora James Is Calling On the Retail Industry to Take the 15 Percent Pledge |url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/designers/a32801800/15-percent-pledge-aurora-james/|work=Harpers Bazaar|date=June 8, 2020}} In August 2020, James recalled, "I was watching Black-owned businesses literally shutter before my very eyes while I was also seeing these major retailers say, 'We stand with you,'" ... "And the reality is that you actually don't."{{cite news |last1=Cachero |first1=Paulina |title=Fashion Entrepreneur Aurora James: 'We Need to Support Black-Owned Businesses. Period.' |url=https://time.com/5878267/aurora-james-time100-talks/ |access-date=16 December 2020 |work=TIME Magazine |date=August 11, 2020}}

Vogue writes the post "immediately went viral and resulted in an outpouring of interest."{{cite news |last1=Okwudo |first1=Janelle |title=Aurora James on Fashion, Feminism, and the Fifteen Percent Pledge |url=https://www.vogue.com/article/aurora-james-september-issue-2020-15-percent-pledge |access-date=16 December 2020 |work=VOGUE |date=August 26, 2020}} James then started an Instagram account for the 15 Percent Pledge and continued tagging retailers to highlight disparities impacting Black-owned businesses.{{cite news |last1=Urquhart |first1=Tira |title=Shoe Designer Aurora James Challenges The Fashion Community With "15% Pledge" To Demand Support Of Black-Owned Businesses |url=https://www.bet.com/article/vgvvpg/aurora-james-challenges-fashion-with-15-pledge |access-date=16 December 2020 |work=BET |date=June 10, 2020}}

In June 2020, James told GQ, "This is a really tough time for everyone, and people shopping is by no means going to ease the pain of the lives that we have lost ... There are also a lot of other things that we need people to be doing, like donating to bail funds."{{cite web |last1=Wolf |first1=Cam |title=This Initiative Could Direct Billions of Dollars to Black-Owned Businesses |url=https://www.gq.com/story/15-percent-pledge |website=GQ |access-date=17 December 2020 |date=June 2, 2020}}

After the early success of the 15 Percent Pledge initiative, the 15 Percent Pledge Foundation was created as a non-profit organization{{cite news |last1=Connelly |first1=Louise |title=This Instagram post could unlock hundreds of millions of dollars for Black-owned businesses |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/09/how-this-instagram-post-could-unlock-millions-for-black-owned-businesses.html |access-date=20 June 2021 |work=CNBC |date=August 9, 2020}} to urge major retailers to commit 15% of their shelf-space to Black-owned businesses{{cite news |last1=Holman |first1=Jordyn |title=Aurora James, the Founder Seeking Shelf Space |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-12-03/aurora-james-founder-of-fifteen-percent-pledge-foundation-bloomberg-50-2020 |access-date=16 December 2020 |work=Bloomberg |date=December 7, 2020}}{{cite web |last1=Rougeau |first1=Naomi |title=How Aurora James Took the 15 Percent Pledge From an Instagram Post to a 501(c)(3) |url=https://www.elle.com/fashion/a33966286/aurora-james-15-percent-pledge/ |website=ELLE Magazine |access-date=16 December 2020 |date=September 15, 2020}} and to build generational wealth in Black communities.{{cite news |last1=Duffy |first1=Clare |title=15% Pledge calls on Target, Whole Foods and other retailers to dedicate shelf space to black-owned businesses |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/07/business/15-percent-pledge-black-owned-businesses/index.html |access-date=17 December 2020 |work=CNN Business |date=June 7, 2020}} The 15 Percent Pledge is registered as a domestic not-for-profit organisation in New York{{cite web |title=15 PERCENT PLEDGE INC. |url=https://opengovny.com/corporation/5759778 |website=opengovny |access-date=4 October 2021}} and fiscally sponsored by the Philanthropic Ventures Foundation, a 501(c)(3) that serves as a fiscal depository for organizations in the process of obtaining 501(c)(3) status.{{cite web |title=Designated Funds |url=https://www.venturesfoundation.org/donors/designated-funds/ |website=Philanthropic Ventures Foundation |access-date=4 October 2021}}

The 15 Percent Pledge is more than a commitment to allocating shelf space to Black-owned businesses; companies signing the pledge are also asked to audit their contracts to determine how their spending is allocated. The foundation conducts the audit of the company each quarter, shares its database of Black-owned businesses, and offers business development strategies.

On June 10, 2020, Sephora was announced publicly as the first business to sign on to the 15 Percent Pledge, and said it would create an advisory group that includes James and other leaders of brands owned by people of color to help Sephora make changes.{{Cite news|last=Maheshwari|first=Sapna|date=June 10, 2020|title=Sephora Signs '15 Percent Pledge' to Carry More Black-Owned Brands|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/10/business/sephora-black-owned-brands.html|access-date=2020-08-17|issn=0362-4331}} The New York Times writes Sephora also "said it would provide connections and support to black-owned businesses from funders and venture capitalists and evolve its existing incubation programs to 'focus on women of color,'" and that this is an example of the type of longer-lasting change sought by the 15 Percent Pledge. Since then, Sephora developed Sephora Accelerate, a mentoring program focused on supporting beauty brands founded by Black, indigenous and people of color.{{cite news |title=Meet the woman on a mission to have retailers commit 15% of their shelf space to Black-owned brands |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/15-percent-pledge-aurora-james/ |access-date=20 June 2021 |work=CBS This Morning |date=March 6, 2021}}

Businesses including Rent The Runway, West Elm, and MedMen, as well as Macy's, Indigo Books & Music in Toronto, Yelp, the U.S. edition of Condé Nast's Vogue, Macy's subsidiaries Bloomingdale's and Bluemercury, and InStyle magazine{{cite web |last1=Fernandez |first1=Chantal |author-link=Chantal Fernandez |date=November 23, 2020 |title=Macy's Inc. and InStyle Join 15 Percent Pledge to Support Black-Owned Brands |url=https://www.businessoffashion.com/news/retail/macys-inc-and-instyle-join-15-percent-pledge-to-support-black-owned-brands |access-date=17 December 2020 |website=Business of Fashion}} have since signed on to the 15 Percent Pledge.

In August 2020, the 15 Percent Pledge Foundation conducted audits of retailers, including Target, Whole Foods, Nordstrom, and Neiman Marcus, and according to Reuters, found "Black-owned businesses currently constitute on average just 1% of U.S. retailers' supplier base."{{cite news |last1=Waldersee |first1=Victoria |title=Yelp joins 15 Percent Pledge to increase representation of Black-owned businesses |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-race-yelp-idUSKBN25R231 |access-date=17 December 2020 |work=Reuters |date=August 31, 2020}}

In September 2020, James asked Canadian retailers to take the 15 Percent Pledge in a Toronto Star opinion article,{{cite news |last1=James |first1=Aurora |title=Black and Indigenous creators are missing from the shelves of Canadian retailers — the 15 Percent Pledge aims to fix that |url=https://www.thestar.com/business/opinion/2020/09/27/black-and-indigenous-creators-are-missing-from-the-shelves-of-canadian-retailers-the-15-percent-pledge-aims-to-fix-that.html |access-date=17 December 2020 |work=The Toronto Star |date=September 27, 2020}} and CBC News reports "James said the Canadian effort was launched partly in response to feedback she got from Canadians who got in touch as a result of the U.S. campaign to say that retailers such as Hudson's Bay and Holt Renfrew can do better."{{cite news |last1=Weikle |first1=Brandie |title=Campaign to promote BIPOC-owned brands calls on Canadian retailers to take '15 Percent Pledge' |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/15-per-cent-pledge-canada-1.5626943 |access-date=17 December 2020 |work=CBC News |date=June 25, 2020}} Indigo Books and Music became the first Canadian company to take the 15 Percent Pledge.{{cite news |last1=Galways |first1=Souzan Michael |title=Indigo Is the First Major Canadian Retailer Committed to Selling More Black Brands |url=https://www.flare.com/fashion-beauty/brands-that-signed-15-percent-pledge/ |access-date= |work=Flare |date=October 22, 2020 |archive-date=June 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210604032821/https://www.flare.com/fashion-beauty/brands-that-signed-15-percent-pledge/ |url-status=dead }}

In April 2021, the foundation publicly addressed the announcement by Target of its plan to spend more than $2 billion on Black-owned businesses by 2025,{{cite news |last1=Boyle |first1=Matthew |title=Target pledges to expand products from Black-owned firms |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/target-pledges-to-expand-products-from-black-owned-firms/ |access-date=20 June 2021 |work=The Seattle Times |agency=Bloomberg |date=April 7, 2021}} with a statement that included, "We should not be applauding this. We deserve so much more than this" and an allegation that Target had copied the foundation's branding, which Target denied.{{cite news |last1=Fernandez |first1=Chantal |title=15 Percent Pledge Calls Out Target on Racial Equity Initiatives |url=https://www.businessoffashion.com/news/retail/15-percent-pledge-calls-out-target-on-racial-equity-initiatives |access-date=20 June 2021 |work=Business of Fashion |date=April 9, 2021}}{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Lilly |title=Did Target steal this Black creator's branding? |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90623845/did-target-steal-this-black-creators-branding |access-date=20 June 2021 |work=Fast Company |date=April 9, 2021}} James told CNBC in May 2021, "Whether or not Target wants to take the pledge or any of these other companies want to take the pledge, we're still going to keep holding their feet to the fire and pushing them to do more."

By May 2021, the 15 Percent Pledge Foundation had 25 retail partners.{{cite news |last1=Repko |first1=Melissa |last2=Thomas |first2=Lauren |title=After George Floyd was killed, retailers pledged to put Black-owned brands on shelves. Here's how it's going |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/25/retailers-diversity-pledges-put-more-black-owned-brands-on-shelves.html |access-date=20 June 2021 |work=CNBC |date=May 25, 2021}}{{cite news |last1=Martin |first1=Michel |title=Update On Retailers' '15 Percent Pledge' |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/06/05/1003639671/update-on-retailers-15-percent-pledge |access-date=20 June 2021 |work=NPR |date=June 5, 2021}}

Currently 29 companies have committed to the pledge including Ulta Beauty, Nordstrom, Banana Republic, Moda Operandi, Kith, J.Crew, Blue Mercury and Victoria's Secret. {{Cite web |last=Eldor |first=Karin |title=Three Years Later, Fifteen Percent Pledge Aims To Shift $14 Billion To Black Founders |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/karineldor/2023/06/20/as-the-15-percent-pledge-marks-its-3-year-anniversary-aurora-james-asserts-were-just-getting-started/ |access-date=2024-06-08 |website=Forbes |language=en}}

In 2022, Google partnered with the foundation to offer a $200,000 grant to a black entrepreneur.{{Cite web |date=2022-12-09 |title=Google Partners With The 15 Percent Pledge To Grant $200k To A Black Entrepreneur |url=https://www.essence.com/news/money-career/aurora-james-15-percent-supplier-diversity/ |access-date=2024-05-27 |website=Essence |language=en-US}}

In November 2023, the 15 Percent Pledge Foundation and Sephora announced the 'Sephora Beauty Grant', which awarded a black business owner within the beauty industry $100,000.{{Cite web |date=2023-11-13 |title=Sephora Announces Black-Owned Beauty Grant |url=https://www.businessoffashion.com/news/beauty/sephora-black-owned-business-grant/ |access-date=2024-05-27 |website=The Business of Fashion |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=McKinney |first=Jeffrey |date=2023-11-15 |title=Sephora $100K Beauty Grant Will Benefit A Black Beauty Business Owner |url=https://www.blackenterprise.com/sephora-beauty-grant-100k-business-owner/ |access-date=2024-05-27 |website=Black Enterprise |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2023-11-14 |title=Fifteen Percent Pledge Announces $100,000 Sephora Beauty Grant |url=https://www.essence.com/beauty/fifteen-percent-pledge-sephora-grant/ |access-date=2024-05-27 |website=Essence |language=en-US}}

{{reflist}}

• [https://www.15percentpledge.org/ Official website]

Category:Organizations established in 2020

Category:Non-profit organizations based in New York City

Category:Black-owned companies of the United States