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How Aurora James Launched the 15% Pledge — Book Excerpt

An excerpt from ‘Wildflower: A Memoir,’ the story of how fashion designer Aurora James pushed American retailers to embrace Black-owned brands.
‘Wildflower: A Memoir’ is the story of how fashion designer Aurora James launched the Fifteen Percent Pledge, pushing American retailers to embrace Black-owned brands.
‘Wildflower: A Memoir’ is the story of how fashion designer Aurora James launched the Fifteen Percent Pledge, pushing American retailers to embrace Black-owned brands. (Courtesy)
By
  • Aurora James

The feedback I got within twenty-four hours of my first post about the Fifteen Percent Pledge, challenging companies to dedicate 15 percent of their shelf space to Black businesses, was overwhelmingly positive. People were excited to see a task assigned to major retailers that could have a positive impact on Black entrepreneurs and businesses. The connection between racial justice and Black-owned businesses was not part of the conversation at that time. The biggest complaint I got was from some people who said this was racist — that shelf space should go to the best brands, not just Black brands. My argument was that right now shelf space was not going to the best brands; it was going to the best funded or most well-connected brands.

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