Weekly Design Dispatch: Required Reading, Resources for Parents and Ways to Support Black Businesses in the Bay and Beyond
Illustrated by Rachel Hillberg
A LITTLE NOTE BEFORE WE GET STARTED.
As I've been navigating the events of the past week, I've been asking myself what I can do personally to make a change for the better. How can I be accountable? And I've come to this; I saw a challenge presented to corporations to pledge to include at least 15% Black-owned businesses and thought, I could do that. One of my core values with the blog from early on was to focus on my local community, to lift up small businesses. I naively assumed that diversity would follow. That I didn't need to seek out a more diverse range of creatives, designers, etc. because if I just continued to work as I always have that they would naturally be in the mix. What I failed to understand is that talent and creativity alone do not always get you in front of the right eyes. That I am not working within a system that gives equal opportunities to POC. That I need to be intentional and self-aware about where I am looking and who I am including. Dig a little deeper. Honestly, this will make for better content. Deeper content. Diversity enriches us all. So, 15%. Not a lot, but a start and a number that I can hold myself accountable to. If I am not living up to this commitment, let me know. I'll do better. Now back to the dispatch.
Welcome to the weekly Design Dispatch. This week we're talking books on diversity for you and your kids, resources for parents, and some amazing black-owned businesses you should check out now.
DESIGN NEWS:
The places we call home tell a lot about who we are, and in the case of Mapping Prejudice, the invisible lines that divide neighborhoods by race and socioeconomic status come to life through interactive visuals. Created by a team of geographers, historians, and activists in Minneapolis, they help explain how tools of division like racial covenants in real estate have shaped some of the neighborhoods of today.
One step you can take towards less economic disparity right now, from wherever you are, is to shift your personal shopping habits to include more Black-owned businesses. Luckily this week the internet is making that change an easy one to adopt, compiling lists of Black-owned businesses from 100+ Etsy shops, to creative businesses in the Bay (via Rare Device), plant shops (via Homestead Brooklyn) and you can even get your vintage fix in with these vintage sellers (via A Current Affair).
Resources for parents
Sesame Street is hosting a town hall along with CNN this Saturday, June 6, at 10 am ET/ 7 am PST called Coming Together: Standing Up to Racism. If your kids are like mine, they are much more interested in what a muppet has to say than having a heart to heart with their parents, so it may be a good place to start. The show will address racism, protests, diversity, and empathy.
Diversifying your child's bookshelf is a simple, actionable step you can take today. Mother Mag published a list of 50+ Children's Books that Feature Kids of Color Just Being Kids and 50 Black History Books for Kids. One of my kid's personal favorite books is "Please, Baby, Please" by Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee. Finally, you can check out virtual storytimes by Rachel Cargle, which can be found under #StoryLove in her IG highlights for those times you just need someone else to read to your kids for a bit.
Another way to bring greater representation into your child's life from day one is to choose dolls that don't exclusively look like them. Mother Mag has a list of 20 Beautiful & Diverse Dolls for Children, and we love the handmade keepsake dolls by Harper Iman.
LOCAL INTEREST:
SFPL has created a reading list on how to "Be An Antiracist." The library's thoughtfully curated staff-created lists are always a favorite resource, and this one is no exception. Wondering how to take advantage of their resources while the library is closed? You can queue up in the digital hold lines through your library account, check out the Libby app, or register with Hoopla for instant access to many of the titles. If you're interested in buying a book instead, here's a list of black-owned bookstores you can purchase from.
One easy way to support some black-owned businesses is by ordering dinner tonight from a Black-owned restaurant in the Bay. While this post on Reddit eagerly debates their favorites, there are so many options on the list you're sure to find one of your own.
The arts-focused website Rogue Habits is hosting a raffle to support organizations against white supremacy and state-sanctioned violence. The raffle includes a roster of our favorite Bay Area artists, with prizes including a weaving by Megan Shimek, or a sculptural bent-wood piece by Katie Gong. It's $5 to enter via Venmo, and you can specify which artist you are entering for. Winners will be announced on June 14.
READ:
I was first introduced to So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo through my local book club, but I'm embarrassed to admit I never finished it. This week I picked it up again and started at the beginning, this time with a new appreciation. Having conversations requires a certain willingness of the participants to come to the table and set aside their own expectations and experiences to understand something outside of themselves. This book helps provide a roadmap for how to begin. My first major takeaway was this- you're going to screw things up. And that's ok, just be willing to come back to the table and try again. Learning not to discount someone else's experiences just because you've never seen or experienced them for yourself- well, that isn't much. But by committing to having these conversations, we can take a step back and confront the reality that our experiences are not the same and begin to examine the systems that we are all born into.
That concludes our weekly Design Dispatch. If there is anything you would like to add to the list, feel free to leave a comment below, and if you have a tip for a future column, feel free to drop us a line.
