It’s not enough. Your company is failing Black people.

Black Lives Matter neither started nor ended with the brutal murder of George Floyd. In recent weeks, many companies, corporations, startups and VCs have come out in support of Black Lives Matter and the fight against systemic racism around the world. As a society we are taking steps in the right direction and, for many Black people, there is hope that this movement turns into lasting change. Our ideal world is one in which skin color is no longer a determinant in securing a job or walking the streets safely.

Yet, many companies have failed to call out the system. We have seen a myriad of messages sharing a sentiment of solidarity and support for police reform, but few have demanded an end to white supremacy.

Zero, the first zero-waste online grocery store, is not only Black-owned, but we have Black people from leadership down through to the warehouse floor. We have proven, as have many other companies, that real change comes from championing diversity. We intentionally foster an environment where Black people are not an afterthought, but are instead woven into the fabric of the company. At Zero, Black Lives Truly Matter.

My team and I feel a different responsibility from most companies. Rather than trying to craft the perfect PR message, we have felt a calling to set the tone.

Here is some insight into how we think about this:

1. Call it like it is. The United States is built on systemic racism.

We dedicated our social media channels, predominantly Instagram, to speaking our truth. At Zero, we believe that speaking truth to power is vital, which means calling out what is really happening.

We shared the following 7 messages, one each day:

1. DISMANTLE WHITE SUPREMACY
2. WE LIVE IN A RACIST SOCIETY, SAY IT
3. HOLD THE POLICE ACCOUNTABLE, THERE ARE NO “BAD APPLES”
4. DEFUND THE POLICE, INVEST IN BLACK COMMUNITIES
5. END THE VIOLENT INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX THAT SUBJUGATES BLACK BODIES
6. SAVE OUR PLANET, END WHITE SUPREMACY OVER THE EARTH
7. STAND FOR WHAT IS RIGHT, EVERY DAY, NOT JUST TODAY. TAKE ACTION

If we are unable to call out the hegemonic system that is built to subjugate people of color, we will be lazy in making change.

2. Tie your words to actions

In the last few weeks, I had hoped to see more of the following:

• A commitment to hiring Black people into key decision-making positions. To be clear, no Black person should be hired because they are Black, but there are Black candidates up and down this country more than qualified for the job. Alexis Ohanian consciously stepping down from the Reddit board and being replaced by Michael Seibel is but one example.
• “Hire or wire” — Black people, much like anybody else, need investment capital to build their businesses. Zero’s pre-seed was led by Precursor Ventures, a fund whose team is all Black and champions founders of all backgrounds. Venture funds should be willing to step out of their usual deal flow networks to find diverse investment targets.

• Top to bottom: When a people have been oppressed for so long, all facets of the broken system need to be restructured. Companies need to look at all of their practices, including hiring, onboarding, and workplace culture. Companies should make training and resources widely available so their team members can address their mindsets and biases.
• Listen to Black people. It really is that simple. We will tell you what needs to change, what we want and how we want it. Non-black people should not be making the decisions at the table around what is best for Black folk across the board. The same goes for women and the queer community. This country aims to be a country for all, honoring our immigrant stories. This requires facing the truth of how people came to be here. Thus, we need diverse representation. No-one should be trying to solve these issues without all people at the table.

3. Understand the experiences of Black people in your company

As a leader of Zero, I have the responsibility to understand what our team is experiencing at any moment in time. So, it was extremely important that I speak individually with our team members, actively engage, and understand the experience.

Here is how this looks for us:

• Dialogue: We have continued, open dialogue between team members to ensure we are listening to each others’ experiences. This has included regular check-in phone calls with me, quality time with one another, and honest recognition of the emotions we experience day-in and day-out. This has created true solidarity and empathy across our team.
• Safety: For us, this has been about understanding and healing. Black people must be provided with the ability to process all of this as they wish. This is not a requirement or a call to action, it is merely a fostering of the right type of environment to allow for this to happen. If we are denied a voice, and space, we cannot be ourselves. Those who do not wish to express themselves are free to do so, but there is someone there, ready to talk, if they wish.
• Transparent communication: We have openly communicated our stance on the matter as all companies should (there should be little doubt from Black folk internally where the company stands on the issues of a racist U.S and police brutality). We have united around our response and how we wish to communicate.
• Celebration of Blackness: It is vital that our culture is pro-Black. This is in our DNA and does NOT mean anti-white. Black people do not want to be merely tolerated, we want to be celebrated. To come to work and be loved is something many have never experienced elsewhere. It is the result of a whole team that consciously chose to ensure this environment exists for the Black people in our company to feel warmth as well as recognition for their hard work.

I recently called up one of our warehouse employees to talk about the last few weeks, and she was shocked that I was calling her. She said: “Nobody at the top of a company has ever called me to check in.” Beyond her initial welcome to Zero, I hadn’t spoken to this person at length. She told me that she had saved her whole life to put her child through college. I had called her on graduation day. These are the kind of life-changing opportunities that we provide to people of disenfranchised communities when we let them into our companies and help them succeed.

We are a family, and families need to support one another. We are not perfect, but we are trying our best to show everyone that there is a more loving way to operate. Silence isn’t acceptable, and we will never achieve equality until every single Black Life Matters.

We must all do better.

With gratitude

Zuleyka

Founder & CEO, Zero

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#blacklivesmatter

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