Naeemah LaFond joined the countless Black creatives calling for tangible and measurable change from beauty brands and industry decision makers this week. The highly sought after editorial hairstylist and Global Artistic Director for amika penned a guide book that lays out direct actions that those decision makers can take to support Black hairstylists, including advice about hiring practices, normalizing Black beauty, and education about Black hair.

It comes on the heels of beauty brands making monetary donations to organizations such as Black Lives Matter, the NAACP, Color Of Change and more. Black creatives and Black brand owners are demanding longterm commitments to upending the current system that blocks opportunities for Black talent and essentially ignores the needs of Black consumers.

“There’s a global conversation about racism and inequality that is taking place and I’m cautiously optimistic to see that my colleagues in the hair care industry have an open ear and are ready to join in on the conversation,” LaFond said. “I think that outside of what is being done in your personal lives to advocate for change and injustice towards black people, that there also needs to be an internal look at your professional spaces and the changes that need to be made there.”

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What I’m about to say here is long overdue. There’s a global conversation about racism and inequality that is taking place.I’m optimistic in knowing that my colleagues in the hair care industry and other industries that we contribute our work to have an open ear and are reaching out to me to find out how they can do better. I think that outside of what is being done in your personal lives to advocate for change and injustice towards black people, that there also needs to be an internal look at your professional spaces and the changes that need to be made there. I believe that the first step lies in recognizing the disproportionate lack of access that black people have to opportunities in this industry which lead to systemic and economic inequalities. I want to be proactive, so I’ve made a list of action steps that decision makers and leaders can follow in making a real change in our industry that goes beyond a social media post. We are at a historical moment and I along with many of my peers are open to having this conversation with you (as awkward as it may get) so that we can advance as an industry in a way that is in true representation of all of its artists. Our Industry as a collective needs to do better. Our craft is owed that. Let’s do the work. (Tag anyone you feel needs to see this/ fwd the information- repost it. All hands on deck.)

A post shared by NAEEMAH LAFOND -HAIRSTYLIST (@naeemahlafond) on Jun 2, 2020 at 2:03pm PDT

“I believe that the first step lies in recognizing the disproportionate lack of access that black people have to opportunities in this industry which lead to systematic and economic inequalities,” LaFond continued. “I want to be proactive, so I’ve made a list of ways that decision makers and leaders can help in making a real change in our industry that goes beyond a social media post. We are at a historical moment and I along with many of my peers are open to having this conversation with you (as awkward as it may get) so that we can advance as an industry in a way that is in true representation of all of its artists.”

Many Black leaders in the beauty industry are pushing for their non-Black colleagues to go further than statements in support of Black Lives Matter on their social media. UOMA Beauty Founder and CEO Sharon Chuter launched the #PutUpOrShutUp campaign calling for beauty brands to disclose to the public the number of Black people they have working in corporate and leadership roles at their companies.

Camara AUnique, celebrity makeup artist and owner of Camara AUnique Beauty, is adding her voice to the conversation by compiling a directory of more than 100 Black makeup artists and beauty influencers. In conjunction with LaFond’s guide book, it creates an environment where brands have no excuse to overlook Black creative talent.

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Tag Them! I’m putting a list together to share! For years Black Artists are not treated fairly and it’s time to bring change in the beauty community. My heart has always been for people. I will have something soon. I am TIRED. God is love and I’m always going to exude true love.

A post shared by CAMARA AUNIQUE (@camaraaunique) on Jun 3, 2020 at 3:03pm PDT

“For years Black Artists are not treated fairly and it’s time to bring change in the beauty community,” AUnique said “My heart has always been for people.”

So brand leaders not only have a way to understand how they can do better and act on their vows to support the Black community, they have resource that they can reference to find artists that they might not have been acquainted with otherwise.

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