We Stand Against Racial Injustice
To the TeePublic Community,
It has been a heavy 3 months, without question one of the most difficult periods of our lifetimes. For me personally, this last week has been incredibly challenging. I know many of you are feeling the same way. The murder of George Floyd and the seemingly endless number of lethal attacks on black citizens is utterly outrageous. No amount of violence in reaction changes the abject tragedy of these murders at the hands of our own government. TeePublic stands with black members of our community, company and customer base in the fight against racial inequality and injustice. We mourn with you.
As a company we are in a position of power on two critical dimensions: we provide jobs and we have a voice. On the former, TeePublic is committed to building out a more formal Diversity and Inclusion program that will ensure a more diverse and representative workforce. Our existing philosophy and practice around behavioral-and-traits-based interviewing is the cornerstone of a strong program and will help ensure our success. Additionally, Diversity and Inclusion is an area where we can learn from our parent company Redbubble, who has done an amazing job and their experience will guide us.
As a platform, TeePublic has a role to play in this conversation. TeePublic amplifies and empowers voices who speak through art. Whatever the conversation, the TeePublic community is there and this topic is no different. Together, we’re powerful. We can, we should and we will use our power to draw specific attention to Black, Indigenous and People of Color artists and their unique perspectives through our website and social media. In the coming weeks we will continue to highlight this group of artists and their work through a curated store and our homepage. This attention is not exclusionary. Attention is not political. It’s a civilized recognition of someone’s truth - and that’s also what Art is.
In addition, TeePublic will be making a donation with the promise of continued support to Black Art Futures Fund, a worthy organization in our own community of Brooklyn that amplifies and strengthens the future of black art through nonprofit grants. The facilitation and stewardship of art is how we feel TeePublic should respond to issues of vital importance and so we believe this is the appropriate allocation of our resources.
To the artists, this is the second time in just the last 90 days I’ve called upon you, but these are monumental times we live in. Whatever your race, background or ethnicity, your artwork and your voice is needed now. You have permission, it’s time to speak.
Lastly, I feel it’s relevant to mention the fact that I am a white man. I am conscious of and aware of the privilege that comes with, including the opportunity to be in a position of leadership and speak to you all. On the whole, I feel my role is to listen carefully, and once I have, use my position to amplify the message I have heard. In totality, that’s what I and by extension TeePublic are attempting to do, not just today, but for as long as it takes.
Stay safe and be well,
Adam Schwartz
TeePublic CEO
