Looking Beyond February: Fireside Chat with Writer and Entrepreneur Jonathan Jackson

February may be over, but the celebration of Black History and culture continues on.

Here at Praytell, BEACON prioritized joy with a variety of programming, clarity breaks, and our first-ever retreat. It was a much-needed reset for us to fellowship and reflect, while also offering the larger Praytell community a chance to get to know us on a personal level. To bring it all home, we welcomed Blavity and Red Table Talk’s Jonathan Jackson for a fireside chat to discuss how we can keep diversity, equity, and inclusion in the industry top of mind year-round. Striving toward long-term change is a marathon, not a sprint — it only comes if people are willing to go beyond a designated holiday or month.

Here are a few takeaways from this discussion:
Competitive Edge of Black Media Outlets

• What sets them apart is being built with the infrastructure to respond and not react. Thus, they’re able to bring clarity to what stories are told.

Things to Remember When Engaging with Black Outlets

• Relativity and intentionality are so important: Do not assume what an outlet will and will not cover. Black media outlets have a range of verticals and a broad audience (including non-Black viewers), not limited to Black-focused stories only.    
• Credibility is a light post: There is a strong network within the industry, not just because everyone is Black, but because they are working toward the same goals and oftentimes overlap. When pitching, It is easy to burn a bridge with this network by not doing due diligence.

The Future of Black Creativity

• Black artists have always been vanguards for telling the truth at great personal risks, whether they received credit for it or not. They’ve taken the reality of a situation and use art to tell the story. Allowing artists the opportunity to focus on the work they want to do, without having to fight barriers and have to explain “why” opens an unlimited potential for creativity.
• Afrofuturism is an art style that continues to gain traction as it allows people to imagine a world in which their personhood is centered and having the freedom to create unbounded.

Thinking Long-Term

• Pay equity: Be consistent with how artists are scoped and the work they are expected to do.
  Oftentimes Black creatives have a dual expectation of completing contracted work while also fulfilling an unsaid cultural obligation without compensation. Not only is this unfair, but it also puts stress on the artist, ultimately damaging the relationship.

• Representation goes hand in hand with retention: Companies should focus on fostering internal growth, as opposed to just recruitment.
  What does the career trajectory look like for current and new Black employees? Is there support and opportunity for growth and equitable pay? Attrition is unseen but the effects are lasting — people leave when it appears there is no future for them. It’s important to create a culture that is safe and sustainable.

• Amplifying Black voices is easy to talk about, but hard to practice: The issue is not that Black people have been historically under-represented, it’s that they’re institutionally failed. They’ve always been there, they just aren’t recognized and/or excluded.
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• It is easy to stand when there is a standing ovation: Mistakes repeat themselves because of a collective group mindset.
  ‍Brands are early in talking points but late in response — showing up incorrectly and uninformed because conversations are happening in an echo chamber.  
  Taking the time, thought, and attention to understand the breadth of the problem will reveal specific ways to actually help.  
  Making a statement without having response vehicles to sustain is a recipe for disaster that audiences will read right through. This also causes an unhealthy crutch on Black team members.  

• Be an accomplice vs. an ally: Allyship is more about empathy, just being an ally isn’t enough. Being an accomplice puts a focus on the set of behaviors needed to charge the problem at hand.

With love,

BEACON

Questions? Or looking for additional guidance about how your brand can intentionally support Black creativity, Please email allyship@praytellagency.com.

About BEACON: Black Employees Advocating for Change and Opportunity Now or BEACON serves as a safe space to unite, retain, and uplift the voices of Black employees at Praytell. We value fellowship, cultural programming, and elevating representation within the industry.