Diversity is defined by Webster as: the state of having people who are different races or who have different cultures in a group or organization. For many diversity is a big goal in business and they seek to make sure they cater to all kinds of people, with different needs, and from different ethnic backgrounds. In the natural parenting world the struggle to be seen, heard, or taken seriously as a person of color doesn’t happen as easily. It rarely occurs without protest and often times that protest forces brands to answer the call, to answer the question: Are y’all diverse or nah?
Black Women Do Cloth Diaper was started by a mom who wondered where her community was in the cloth diaper world. Where was the melanin? In cloth diaper advertisement the same thing was shown over and over to consumers that gave a stark white image of natural parenting. A blonde hair, blue eyed baby, mouth wide open in a toothless grin with a brightly colored diaper on their bums.
Many of you probably smiled when you heard that example, sounds pretty cute right? The issue is when you have a black or brown baby with curly hair and brown eyes and you can’t seem to find a single photo, advertisement, or trace of yourself in a brand yet you spend your money with them, you feel a sense of disconnect or a lack of a home in a world you enjoy. So you pose a challenge, you ask the question:
Where’s the Melanin?
This question has been posed by the community and owner Donna Smith of Black Women Do Cloth Diaper. With almost 20,000 followers across social media platforms many brands have stepped up to the plate and the challenge has been met with support. But there has also been some opposition, some unwillingness to change, and some clearly visible shoddy PR work.
This Company is a clear example of hearing a call and answering it. Jen Labit an ally and a friend, not only diversified her advertisement, but was the first and only brand to create a cloth diaper honoring the bravery and heroism of a former slave, Equiano.
Stephanie Daniels is a cloth diaper retailer that has not only raised money for the water crisis in Flint, Michigan disproportionately hurting black men, women, and children, but also has met the call to diversify her brand. She has become a true friend to the BWDCD family and holds a special place in our community.
When Black Women Do Cloth Diaper issued the call to diversify marketing in cloth diapering over two years ago, MANY brands recognized, reevaluated, and rose to the occasion. There has been a very visible change in the images you see now in comparison to before. BWDCD has documented this shift by featuring the images of children and people of color put forth by any brand, with a concentration on the most popular, USA based brands.
While some brands have been consistent, others have not. While some brands have been open to dialogue, others have not.
While some brands have been consistent, others have not. While some brands have been open to dialogue, others have not.
These four businesses are the front running Black Owned WAHM Cloth Diaper businesses in the industry. They bring different styles, offer different products, and provide the black community with an automatic answer:
FOR US BY US !
Resistance comes with every struggle and the response to the concerns of customers, supporters, and advocates has been exclusively negative for one company. Instead of answering the call, they’ve ignored, shifted blame, made excuses, labeled others as problematic, angry, abusive, and hateful and then launched an all out PR war to cover up shoddy business practices that glorified making excuses instead of promoting inclusiveness.
Let it be known that the BWDCD community, allies, and supporters see the truth. We see what is real and who is really for us. We see the dismissals, we see the cover ups, and we know the truth. The colors of cloth diapers are vast and a marvel to see, but let it be known that we want representation. We don’t want a cover up. We aren’t interested in a smear campaign. We know that you see the colors, the ones you choose and choose not to represent. As a community, as a brand, as a people, we see you, and choose to rise above.
BLACK WOMEN DO CLOTH DIAPER. Never forget that. It’s those brands who stand behind us, those who represent the black babies, the brown babies, the yellow babies, and those who stand unrepresented in advertising that will be supported by us. They will see the color that we know you care the most about, they will see OUR GREEN.
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