MOMENT IN TIME

The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, also known as the March on Washington, occurred in August 1963, when some 250,000 people gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.  The purpose of the march was to advocate for the civil and economic rights of African Americans. The event also aimed to draw attention to continuing challenges and inequalities faced by African Americans a century after emancipation. It was also the occasion of Martin Luther King Jr.’s now-iconic “I Have a Dream” speech, in which he called for an end to racism and racial segregation.

TRAILBLAZER

PeteShirley Ann Jackson is an American physicist and  the 18th president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She is the first African American woman to have earned a doctorate at MIT in any field (Theoretical Elementary Particle Physics). Much of the technology behind how we communicate today was made easier by advancements that Dr. Shirley Jackson helped create. While working at AT&T Bell Laboratories, she worked on—and helped invent—the technologies that would go into everything from fiber optics to fax machines, and even caller ID.   In the early 1990’s she was awarded the Thomas Edison Science Award for her contributions to physics and the promotion of science.

DID YOU KNOW?

Kwanzaa is an annual African American and pan-African celebration of family, community, and culture. It is observed between December 26 and January 1. It was created in 1966 by founder Dr. Maulana Karenga, in the wake of the 1965 Watts Rebellion, and is based on African harvest festival traditions, and the Swahili language. Dr. Karenga was a major figure in the Black Power and Civil Rights Movements, and his goal was to reaffirm African American roots in African culture; to serve as a communal celebration of African people to reaffirm and reinforce the bonds between them and to instill a sense of pride and identity, purpose, and direction.

FOR A CAUSE

Soul Fire Farm is an Afro-Indigenous-centered community farm committed to ending racism and working toward equality in the food system. Soul Fire Farm began to operate in 2010, providing egg and vegetable delivery to low-income community members. In 2016, they officially became a 501 (c) 3 and launched their farming education and training program. They have created a model for fresh food distribution that has allowed them to help 1900+ individuals from marginalized communities. They have trained over 11,000 youth and adults in farming education and reached over 55,000 people through community workshops.

SOUND BYTE

Inclusive marketing is marketing that considers diversity in all forms, such as advertisements and promotions. This technique emphasizes a brands recognition that its audience includes different groups of people from various locations and cultures, and it strives to represent all of them.  A recent study by Kantar Global Monitor found that 65% of consumers said it’s important that the companies they buy from actively promote diversity and inclusion in their own business or society as a whole. To connect with consumers, brands can consider how to incorporate a better representation of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion and economic status in their messaging and storytelling.