Time to Get to Work and Make a Change

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This is an extraordinary moment in human history.

It’s an awakening born from decades of pain, but it also carries so much hope on what is possible.

Black lives matter.

They have always mattered. And it is utterly tragic that it has taken all the recent events to spell that out. Saying that is not enough. Posting on social media isn’t enough. This email isn’t enough. But I want you to be 100% clear where I, along with my team stand on this matter.

If you are a Black person or a person of color, we support you. The systemic racism, violence, and injustice is unacceptable.

We are listening. We are learning. We are having difficult conversations. And we are taking action steps so that this isn’t just something that we work on or talk about once, but becomes a fundamental part of our company, our team culture, and how we conduct business.

As a Latina woman, I recognize that I am not doing enough to support our Black and POC in this community. I want to show up and do better, so that ALL voices are heard and we can ALL learn from one another.

Here’s what we're currently doing to do better in our online community, programs, marketing, and within our team.

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Education & Investing

I am committed to not only educating myself by reading, learning, and listening, but also in educating my children about racism and how to be an ally through respect, empathy, and support toward all people. I’m also committed to investing in more Black entrepreneurs and their programs, courses, communities, and digital products. These are some of the voices and resources that I have been listening intently, and I hope that they may be a good source of information and inspiration for you as well.

Community & Content

I am committed to amplifying more Black voices in this community and filling my content and podcast with more Black entrepreneurs who have so much brilliance to share. Also, I'll be taking the challenge set forth by Bron Hansboro to post the work of African American wedding & event professionals using the hashtag #unitythroughcommunity more consistently on Instagram and our blog.

Donating

I am donating to The NAACP, Color Of Change, and to Black Lives Matter...and that’s just the beginning. If you have the means, I suggest you also give to those who are carrying the emotional labor of this fight and are doing their part to create impact.

Team Building

Actively seeking out diversity in who we follow, who we collaborate with, who we are affiliates for, who we interview, and who we hire. There are so many incredible Black people and people of color who are running and growing successful businesses of all types. We are committed to supporting and working with them.

Partnerships

A commitment to asking questions about speaker line-ups before agreeing to speak at events and saying no if Black voices aren’t included beyond tokenization. We will be severing ties and ending relationships with partners, companies, and vendors who are not publicly speaking out against racism AND those who are publicly speaking out but NOT following through behind the scenes.

Speaking Up

Being open to feedback and conversations. It’s not enough to just sit back and listen but it’s equally important to use our voices to speak up against racial injustice when we see it and I plan to do just that.

If you have any specific feedback on how we can do better, please feel free to let us know...we are all ears!
Thank you for being here and for being part of the CHANGE. Step by step we’ll build a better world together.

EducationCristina Barraganblm, black lives, black lives matter, FleursocietyComment