Visit this page for resources and the latest updates.
Initial statement from the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), originally published on May 31, in response to the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, and in support of all who have suffered and continue to suffer under systemic white supremacy, police brutality, and oppression:
"Racial inequality and injustice are present across countless areas of our lives, including the design industry. IDSA shares our support in solidarity with the Black community and is committed to listening, learning, and being an active participant in building a better, more equitable future."
IDSA is dedicated to backing up these words with specific, concrete actions and will update you on our progress as we work for real change, for you and with you.
UPDATE: IDSA's Board of Directors has unanimously approved the formation of IDSA's first Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council (DEIC), sponsored by Board member ClayVon Lowe, IDSA. The DEIC will center on long-term and overdue improvements within IDSA, industrial design education, and the industrial design industry in respect to many types of diversity—including, but not limited to, race, ethnicity, gender, ability, and sexual orientation.
The DEIC aims to:
- Significantly increase diversity and minority representation in IDSA's core programming, events, leadership teams, membership, publications, partnerships, awards, and scholarships
- Develop new pathways and partnerships that will extend IDSA’s ability to support minority and low-income communities, and to increase access to industrial design education and professional opportunities
- Be a catalyst in transforming the industrial design industry so that it better reflects our diverse country and world, and to dismantle the structural racism and inequities that permeate design and our communities
IDSA also plans to directly support causes that benefit designers and students from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds. We look forward to sharing details on this and many other initiatives soon.
If you would like to help, please email DEIC@idsa.org.
RESOURCES
From Nobl Collective:
Be Actively Anti-Racist: A Google Spreadsheet with resources for training, hiring, teaching, and more.
Whether you’re a leader or not, Hold Your Employer Accountable for Racial Justice with this template from Rachel Cargle (Patreon account)
Understand that “Maintaining Professionalism In The Age of Black Death Is….A Lot.” As Shenequa Golding writes, "I don’t know who decided that being professional was loosely defined as being divorced of total humanity, but whoever did they’ve aided, unintentionally maybe, in a unique form of suffocation."
- Black Folks In Design | "Connecting Black designers to ourselves, both within and across disciplines" (on Instagram)
- Revision Path | "An award-winning, weekly showcase of Black designers, developers, and digital creatives from all over the world"
- Hire Black Female Creatves | "A growing list of Black female creatives spanning many disciplines"
- Blacks Who Design | "A Twitter directory of accomplished Black designers in the industry"
- Black Designers of Canada | "The first-ever interactive Canadian index celebrating black excellence in design"
- 10 Steps to Non-Optical Allyship | by Mireille Charper (on Instagram)
- Transform Allyship Into Action: A Toolkit for Non-Black People | Social Justice in Medicine Coalition at USC (on Instagram)
VIRTUAL EVENTS
- Watch the recordings : Where Are the Black Designers? | held June 25, 2020 | Raja Schaar, IDSA and Chris Livaudais, IDSA spoke at this essential gathering of 10,000+ participants. We highly recommend watching the sessions made available at the link.
- Register: HUE Design Summit | Saturday, July 25 and Sunday, July 26, 2020 | "HUE Design Summit is organized by a collective of creative individuals who believe that in order for a community to flourish, there must first be a community. The summit returns this summer as a 2-day virtual experience created for designers and developers of color, bringing curated conversations and workshops in an environment where we are given the space and tools necessary to advance in the ever changing world of technology."
- Creative Reaction Lab | The 501 (c) (3) non-profit, founded by designer Antoinette Carroll in support of the uprising in Ferguson in 2014, is "building a youth-led, community-centered movement of a new type of Civic Leader: Redesigners for Justice."
- NAACP's Legal Defense and Educational Fund | Also a 501 (c) (3) noprofit organization, founded by Thurgood Marshall in 1940, the LDF "seeks structural changes to expand democracy, eliminate disparities, and achieve racial justice in a society that fulfills the promise of equality for all Americans."
- Color of Change | A 501 (c) (4) nonprofit, co-founded by Van Jones and James Rucker following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, this racial justice organization works to "move decision-makers in corporations and government to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America."
Disclaimer: IDSA is not affiliated with these organizations and recommends that individuals conduct their own research before donating or engaging.