Black lives still matter.

Over the last year, we’ve taken the time to listen, learn, and reflect on ways we can better uplift the folks around us who need it the most. 

We didn’t immediately send out an email expressing our sentiments, because it felt performative without any action directly tied to the email—much like how “hopes and prayers” after a devastating event does absolutely nothing to evoke change.

BIPOC communities deserve better. Queer communities deserve better. Communities that do not fall in the category of white, straight, & cisgender deserve better. Full stop. Period.

In his Town Hall meeting, Obama reminded us all that the fight for equality is a marathon, not a sprint. We’ve been seeing companies quickly sprint to express their sentiments without thinking of a long-term plan, and our communities that are hurting deserve better. Instead of sprinting to quickly put a bandage on a system that is internally bleeding—I have to ask:

What is your marathon plan?

We’re collectively experiencing a time where we’re all seeing that companies and individuals have every opportunity to behave similarly. Companies that don’t implement action behind their sentiments can make us, as individuals, feel a lot like an adult (companies) pushing a child (individuals) so they scrape their knee and the child seeing that the adult holds the first aid supplies (money, resources, influence, connections, etc.) to soothe their injured knee (400 years of systemic oppression)—but the adult does nothing.

Here is Americano’s marathon plan:

Long-term Reparations

In addition to the action funds Americano and our team members have donated to as a company and individuals, 10% of Americano’s profit will be donated monthly to BIPOC queer action funds, with no expiration date, regardless of the organization’s 501c3 or non-profit status.

Valuing BIPOC Voices & an Even More Inclusive Team

Americano will continue to be proactive about hiring black talent & working with teams committed to the inclusion of BIPOC voices, perspectives, and experiences. We’ve sought out and found BIPOC-centric sources of creative talent that we’ll be using first when curating more talent as projects continue to come through the doors at Americano. As part of the client screening process at Americano, we’ve also added questions that make sure the clients we work with share similar values and/or are capable of having tough conversations with an open mind.

Designated Time to Mentor

We’re designating a permanent time block of an hour each week for everyone’s calendar at Americano to mentor queer/BIPOC entrepreneurs and designers so we can use our platform of industry connections to make introductions and elevate opportunities that may not have happened otherwise. As part of this, we’re implementing a check-in system for mentees as one of many ways we can ensure the highest rate of possible success. If you or someone you know is interested in mentorship, email mentor@americano.design.

Standing Up for Each Other & Having Tough Conversations

Part of being a family means standing up for each other. In a world where almost anything can be found on Google, it is not the job of BIPOC, queer, or other minorities to educate or tell folks of privilege what to do as it often requires copious amounts of emotional labor that rarely ever gets compensated. Everyone at Americano will continuously become more educated about their own privilege and the role it plays in systemic oppression. Each team member at Americano has unanimously agreed to proactively step up and exert the emotional labor it takes to have these tough conversations so that team members who need the rest from educating about their own experiences can do so. Internally in business, this looks like initiating conversations around who is in the room for presentations and making decisions, continuing to use more diverse stock imagery in presentations, and speaking out when concepts don’t offer diversity or inclusion.

Regardless of your status as an individual or a company, now is the time to be making your long-term marathon plan instead of one-off sprints. If you need help figuring out what your own marathon plan looks like, email concierge@americano.design and we’ll be more than happy to help.

In solidarity,
Charlie Poulson & The Americano Team