Protests have spanned the country daily following the killing of George Floyd on May 25 by Minneapolis’ now former police officer, Derrick Chauvin. As the black community and allies took to social media to spread the word and demand justice for Floyd and countless others (Breonna Taylor is another name among the list of black lives lost in just the first six months of 2020), many began to look at large fashion brands, who are heavily supported by the black community, to take a stand.

Regarding “influencing” culture, it is these brands (with hundreds of thousands to millions of followers, with hugely diverse customer bases, with connections to individuals in high power positions) that are among the few, outside of political officials, that hold the utmost influence in times like these.

Perhaps to not much surprise, many brands fell short, late, or altogether completely silent regarding police brutality and the fight for basic human rights. Somehave released generic, almost empty, statements, and some have spread awareness in a way that feels more authentic and promotes action.

Tuesday June 2, both individual Instagram users and large brands were spreading blank posts of only a black square in observance of Black Out Tuesday. While a collective effort to encourage everyone to focus on what matters versus their own self-serving content, the movement is now facing backlash for flooding the Black Lives Matter and BLM hashtags of blank posts, effectively wiping the hashtags clean of valuable information and resources for taking action.

This is a telling and powerful moment for the black community. As responses have trickled in, internet users have taken to social media to discuss where and where not to use their black dollars and which corporations are seemingly not worth supporting any more. The conversation has inspired people to share lists of black owned brands to support instead.

The argument of whether or not the community even needs a statement from these large corporations has been a debate. Silence, or only reacting after pressure from social media, is a stance (of opposition) in itself, some have argued. But still, the influence of these companies cannot be denied.

Ahead, here’s a look at how various brands have addressed police brutality and racism against black bodies.

The post A Look At Fashion Brand’s Responses to Police Brutality appeared first on Essence.