Make It Black

Our Mission

our MISSION IS TO ADVANCE THE ECONOMIC WELL-BEING OF BLACK communities worldwide BY INSPIRING CHANGE AT A CORPORATE, COMMUNITY AND INDIVIDUAL LEVEL.

#PULLUPorshutup.

It all started in June 2020, with a video from our Founder Sharon Chuter and a hashtag #pulluporshutup, which challenged corporations to go beyond posting black squares and making donations, and instead make public the number of Black employees they have in their organizations (HQ & satellite offices) and on their leadership teams. Ms. Chuter demanded accountability and transparency as the first step to building equity and creating equality for Black professionals. With the support of leading voices and influencers within the Beauty and Lifestyle community, Chuter encouraged consumers to vote with their wallets and hold off spending with brands until they release this data to the public. The Result? - The Birth of a movement which mobilized over 110k people in 7 days and a viral campaign that made a lasting impact within Corporate America with over 300 companies publicly releasing diversity reports for the first time, and going beyond that to set tangible and measurable goals publicly aimed at increasing Black representation in corporate, management and leadership roles.

our FOCUS.

Economic Equality - We work with companies to inspire action around hiring practices and corporate culture to usher in a future of fair Black representation at Corporations and create work environments where Black talent can flourish.

Accountability and Transparency - “What gets measured gets managed” _Peter Drucker. We believe the first step to equal employment for all is accountability, and the next step is transparency. We work with companies to collate and distribute helpful diversity reports. We promote transparency by giving visibility to consumers so that they can vote with their wallets. DO NOT BUY WHERE YOU WILL NOT BE HIRED!

Black Entrepreneurship - We believe in Black entrepreneurship as a critical pillar in achieving equity. In 2021 less than 1.2% of available capital went to Black founders. Did you know that there are less than 130,000 Black businesses in America with one or more employees? We support Black founders through the Pull Up For Change Impact Fund.

impact.

In 2020 over 300 companies released diversity reports for the first time, including Snapchat, L’Oreal, P&G, Estee Lauder Group, Sephora, ULTA Beauty, and more. 9 out of the top 10 beauty conglomerates released diversity reports for the first time.

In 2021 through the Make it Black initiative, we raised almost $400,000 to establish the Pull Up For Change Impact Fund. $370,000 was deployed to 8 founders in the form of grants ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 via a Pitch Competition (Pitch Please!) at Essence Festival of Culture in June.

It is estimated that at least 4,000 Black professionals have found new work or promotions directly resulting from our movement.

HOW WE DO IT