- Uoma
Beauty founder Sharon Chuter launched the #PullUpOrShutUp challenge via Instagram on Wednesday. - Her goal is to bring awareness to the "underrepresentation of black people in corporate America, especially in leadership roles."
- The hashtag encourages people to avoid purchasing from their favorite brands for 72 hours to demand that companies, especially those that have released statements in support of Black Lives Matter, release the number of black employees they have in leadership.
- In a statement sent to Insider, Chuter said #PullUpOrShutUp "is not an exercise in naming and shaming," but is instead "a call for all brands to review their own practices."
- So far, influencers including Jackie Aina and Patrick Starrr have voiced support for the campaign.
Countless companies have used their social-media accounts in recent days to voice support for the black community and those who are protesting racial injustice across the country.
In addition to making statements and donations, Uoma Beauty founder Sharon Chuter is calling on large companies to be transparent about how many black people they employ.
On Wednesday, Chuter launched the #PullUpOrShutUp challenge on Instagram, which is meant to bring awareness to the "underrepresentation of black people in corporate America, especially in leadership roles," according to a press release a representative for Chuter's campaign sent to Insider.
In a video about the campaign on Instagram, Chuter said she and other members of the black community thank brands for "publicly showing support for the Black Lives Matter movement," making donations, and halting their social-media content during #BlackoutTuesday.
However, she argued that many brands are ignoring the role they've played in the marginalization and oppression of black people over the years, saying that "a lot of these efforts may just be PR stunts."
"Now what we need to do is ask these companies over the next 72 hours to release the number of black people they have employed in corporate roles, as well as leadership roles," Chuter said on Instagram.
"You cannot say Black Lives Matter publicly when you don't show us Black Lives Matter within your own homes and within your organizations," she continued. "For 72 hours, please hold off your spending until your favorite brands release this number."
Chuter hopes that participating brands will reveal at least two major stats: the percentage of black employees within their organization — not including field,
Uoma Beauty founder Sharon Chuter was inspired by recent protests and anti-racism statements to create this campaign
In the press release shared with Insider, the representative said Chuter created the #PullUpOrShutUp campaign in response to "the Black Lives Matter and anti-racism revolution happening around the world."
The press release also said Chuter was inspired by brands that have released statements in support of the movement, as many of them "are notorious for not catering to people of color, and most importantly, have condoned the lack of economic inclusion for black people within their organization for decades."
"Brands hide under the veil of donations to black movements and well-crafted PR statements to move past this moment and continue business as usual," the press release said. "Sharon believes, this time, we can all come together to make this movement more than just another hashtag."
While Chuter hopes that this campaign can help "dismantle a system that has led to low economic participation for black people," she says she's not attempting to shame any brands in the process.
"This is not an exercise in naming and shaming, but simply a call for all brands to review their own practices," Chuter said in a statement sent to Insider. "It's easy to say racism is other people's problem, but it's important at this critical point in time that we all look at how we may have contributed to this issue and have the humility to accept it and make an effort to change it."
"Black people remain starved of economic opportunities," she continued. "We can create long-term economic change for black people by simply holding brands accountable to practice what they preach. Many don't even have options in their product ranges for black people and it's 2020!"
So far, numerous influencers have voiced support for the campaign
YouTuber Jackie Aina, for example, shared her own video about #PullUpOrShutUp on Instagram. She also asked brands that she's partnered with in the past to participate.
"72 hours is all we need to drive long-lasting economic change for black people!" Aina wrote in the caption of her video. "Stand for change. Ask these brands to PULL UP OR SHUT UP."
"ALL BRANDS that have had partnerships with me, I challenge and highly encourage all of you to participate," she continued.
Earlier this week, Aina used Instagram to call on fashion brands — including Fasion Nova, Pretty Little Thing, and Revolve — to use their platforms in support of the black community. She posted an Instagram video about the topic, and also spoke privately with the CEOs of Fashion Nova and Pretty Little Thing.
The latter company has since used Instagram to share resources that help customers donate to justice causes and advocate for Black Lives Matter. Fashion Nova has pledged $1 million to organizations including Black Lives Matter, NAACP Legal and Educational Fund, and Know Your Rights Camp.
Patrick Starrr, another beauty YouTuber, also shared one of the campaign's Instagram photos on his page.
"Attention ALL BEAUTY BRANDS!" Starrr wrote in the caption of his post. "Be ABOUT IT and let us know your plan to fix it!"
- Read more:
- 22 beauty brands that are taking action against racial injustice
- A beauty brand that sells lipsticks with shade names like F*ck Trump is donating 100% of earnings to organizations fighting racial injustice
- Sephora is letting its Beauty Insider members redeem their points as donations to the National Black Justice Coalition
- Beauty YouTuber Jackie Aina is calling on clothing brands like Fashion Nova to stop being 'dead silent' about issues facing the black community