15% Pledge urges major retailers to devote more shelf space to black-owned businesses

A movement called the 15 Percent Pledge is asking retailers to make their shelves better reflect the American people.

Created by fashion designer Aurora James, the pledge asks retailers to commit 15% — the percentage of people in the United States who are black — of their shelf space to black-owned businesses.

“I had brands reaching out saying, ‘Hey girl, how do you think we should handle this?’ You know, that kind of call-your-black-friend energy,” James told Vogue. “Black people represent 15% of the population, and so stores like Target should make sure they’re hitting 15% of black-owned business on their shelves. If they agreed to do that in a major way, which isn’t even that major — it’s kind of the bare minimum, in fact — then a whole ricochet effect could take place. Why not try?”

James, who serves as creative director of accessories brand Brother Vellies, launched the pledge and its accompanying petition last week as demonstrators took to the streets to protest racism, police brutality against black people and the death of George Floyd, CNN reported.

Floyd died May 25 after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes. Chauvin was charged with murder, and three other officers were charged with aiding and abetting.

The coronavirus pandemic hit black-owned businesses especially hard, causing experts to question whether some of them will be forced to close permanently, ABC News reported.

In an Instagram post last week, 15 Percent Pledge called on Target, Whole Foods, Sephora and Shopbop, explaining that devoting more shelf space to black-owned businesses would put $14.5 billion — 15% of their collective product budgets, according to Forbes — back into black communities.

CNN asked each of the four stores how much shelf space is currently devoted to black-owned businesses, but none responded, according to the outlet.

“A lot of the insecurity we’ve had during the pandemic comes down to not having the resources, and that means that we need a lot more money and need to be more supported,” James said, according to Forbes.

Amid protests, a number of retailers have made donations to Black Lives Matter. Target pledged $10 million to social justice and rebuilding efforts, and Amazon pledged a total $10 million to 11 organizations including the ACLU and NAACP, but some say it’s not enough.

“Oftentimes there’s a lot of motion but very little action,” John Harmon, a member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce committee charged with correcting unequal opportunity, told CNN.

15 Percent Pledge also addressed Target’s donation in an Instagram post, stating that black people spend $10 million a day at the retailer.

“Dear @Target, This is about more than just a donation,” the post said. “It’s about you making long term investments into Black-owned businesses, which in turn uplifts Black communities. Will you take our @15PercentPledge? Come to the table. And come correct.”

James said stores committing to dedicating 15% of its purchasing power to black businesses would also lead to other investment.

“If these businesses can commit to taking that pledge, it would lead to more (venture capitalists) and investors looking to support black-owned businesses and taking them seriously because they know there’s a built-in demand,” she said, according to Forbes.

This story was originally published June 8, 2020 at 12:20 PM with the headline "15% Pledge urges major retailers to devote more shelf space to black-owned businesses."