BLACK LIVES MATTER

 

art by @mongequentin

Friends of Jenny believes that Black Lives Matter and stands for a just, equitable world.
As business owners, we are committed to joining in meaningful, lasting action against racism: by listening to Black voices, supporting organizations that fight oppression and heal communities, and creating dedicated space within our shop to spotlight Black-owned businesses we love. 
This also has meant doing a lot of personal work, learning and listening, critical introspection and opening up conversations both online and offline with friends, family and our community. We are committed to continuing this journey, and encourage you to join us.

 

Our Commitment: 

We are committed to making meaningful changes at Friends of Jenny. As we listen and learn, the ways that we show up for justice will grow and change, and these action items are just the starting point. Here are our first small steps as a company:

  • Continue to contribute to nonprofits supporting Black communities. So far, we have donated to: Black Lives Matter- Toronto chapter, The Bail Project, The Black Health Alliance
  • Have conversations about expanding diversity in all areas of our company
  • Commit to growing Friends of Jenny inventory to include a minimum of 15% Black-owned brands
  • Continue to highlight Black-owned brands, creatives, educators, and influencers on our social media 

If you have any other suggestions for how Friends of Jenny can contribute, we’d love to hear from you. We are ready to do better.

Resources for education and action that we have found valuable:

Organizations to Donate to:

Black Visions Collective https://www.blackvisionsmn.org/  
Bail Project https://bailproject.org/  
Audre Lorde Project https://alp.org/  
The Remix Project Toronto https://theremixproject.com/ 
NAACP https://naacp.org/ 
Black Futures Lab  https://blackfutureslab.org/about/  
ACLU https://www.aclu.org
BLM TO https://blacklivesmatter.ca
Reclaim the Block  https://www.reclaimtheblock.org/home
Know Your Rights Camp  https://www.knowyourrightscamp.com
The Loveland Foundation  https://thelovelandfoundation.org
Showing Up for Racial Justice   https://www.showingupforracialjustice.org

Books to Read:

White Fragility by Robin Diangelo
Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad
How To Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
So You Want To Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria by Beverly Daniel Tatum

Become a patron of The Conscious Kid (We did!) to access resources for parents and children, including their list of “41 Children’s Books to Support Conversations on Race, Racism, and Resistance”.

Black-Owned Businesses to Support:

Clothing:

Sindiso Khumalo https://www.sindisokhumalo.com
Goodee World https://www.goodeeworld.com
Ka Space https://www.ka-space.com
Tove Studio https://tove-studio.com
House of AAMA https://houseofaama.com
Sincerely Tommy https://sincerelytommy.com
Duro Olowu https://www.duroolowu.com
The Folklore https://www.shopthefolklore.com 
BLK MKT Vintage https://www.blkmktvintage.com
Studio 189 https://studiooneeightynine.com
Aliya Wanek https://aliyawanek.com
Fe Noel https://fenoel.com
Christopher John Rogers https://www.christopherjohnrogers.com
Glemaud  glemaud.com
Cold Laundry https://coldlaundrystores.com

Accessories:

Brother Vellies https://brothervellies.com
Petit Kouraj https://www.petitkouraj.com
Edas https://edas.store/products/angie-earrings
AAKS https://www.aaksonline.com
Flat Fifteen https://flatfifteen.co.uk
Mateo  mateonewyork.com
Khiry https://www.khiry.com/
Monrowe monrowenyc.com
Black Pepper Paperie www.blackpepperpaperie.com
Omi Woods www.omiwoods.com

Beauty:

Briogeo https://briogeohair.com
Golde https://golde.co
KNC Beauty https://kncbeauty.com
Dehiya Beauty https://dehiyabeauty.com
Pearnova https://pearnova.com
Shea Moisture https://www.sheamoisture.com
Eu'genia Shea https://eugeniashea.com
Klur https://klur.co
Unsun https://www.unsuncosmetics.com
Shani Darden https://www.shanidarden.com/
Oui the People https://www.ouithepeople.com/

Home/Lifestyle:

Real Talk Candles https://www.realtalkcandles.com/shop
Nectrous https://nectrous.com
Naked Clay Ceramics https://www.nakedclayceramics.com
Elan Byrd https://www.bleubyrdie.com
Claude Home https://www.claudehome.com
Bole road textiles https://boleroadtextiles.com
Linoto https://www.linoto.com
54Kibo https://54kibo.com
Offerings http://offerings.co
Tracie Hervey https://www.tracie-hervy-ceramics.com
Studio Nom https://studionom.nl
Denniston House https://www.denniston.house
Ceramic Meltdown https://ceramicmeltdown.com
Lolly Lolly  https://lolly-lolly.com/

For a more extensive list of BIPOC owned businesses visit: Black Owned Businesses

Watch and Listen:

NPR : Talking Race with Young Children
https://www.npr.org/2019/04/24/716700866/talking-race-with-young-children
NPR : Code Switch Podcast https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch
New York Times: 1619 Podcast
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/23/podcasts/1619-slavery-anniversary.html
Unlocking Us Podcast with Brené Brown with Ibram X. Kendi
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bren%C3%A9-with-ibram-x-kendi-on-how-to-be-an-antiracist/id1494350511?i=1000476611079

13th by Ava Duvernay
The House I Live In by Eugene Jarecki
LA 92 by T. J. Martin and Daniel Lindsay
Knock down the House by Rachel Lears

Further reading:

For an excellent Black Lives Matter resource, visit: https://cocoandcowe.com/2020/06/01/black-lives-matter-a-resource/

*This is an ever evolving list and we will continue to add resources, brands and creatives to support and follow as we learn and discover more.