Scratch Marketing + Media stands with the Black community against police violence and all other forms of structural racism in our society. We believe in the inherent equalness of every human and have been, like most everyone, thinking through meaningful ways to take a stand and create long-term change. Education and access create opportunity, and this was our guiding idea as we considered how to support.
We are reaffirming our commitment to this principle by developing an action plan around our involvement with local, career-focused organizations that support minority-owned business communities.
First, we will be donating funds to Hack Diversity to support the diversity of students pursuing careers in software engineering, data analytics, information technology, and UX/UI—learn more about its mission to increase in the number of Black and Latinx technical talent in the innovation economy in Boston.
Second, as active members of the technology startup community in Boston, we will be donating time to consult with, mentor and advise entrepreneurs for minority-owned businesses on PR, Sales Enablement, Marketing and Design.
To make this possible, every Scratcher will have 10 hours per quarter to volunteer time to the above program as well as at the organizations of their choice, some of which are listed below.
This doesn’t stop with donations and counseling, and it doesn’t stop when the protests end. It is our responsibility to continue to educate ourselves on the injustices in our community, learn new ways to confront racism, and elevate the voices of the Black community and other marginalized groups. If you share this mission but don’t know how you can help, we have included a list of organizations you can consider donating to and have highlighted resources you can look to for learning more about anti-racism.
Organizations Accepting Donations
Organizations Supporting Black Entrepreneurs
Black Girl Ventures: An organization that creates access to capital for Black/Brown Women Founders.
Black Founders: An organization dedicated to creating an ecosystem that stimulates technology entrepreneurship among the Black community.
BECMA: A Boston-based organization that advocates for Black-owned businesses.
Organizations Directly Involved in the Movement
Black Visions Collective: An organization for uplifting Black leadership in Minnesota.
Black Lives Matter: The organization leading the movement for the safety and justice of black people around the world.
Know Your Rights Camp: Colin Kaepernick’s organization for empowering Black youth.
Educational Resources for Supporting Anti-Racism
Articles
The Intersectionality Wars | Jane Coaston | Vox
We recommend reading this article to gain insights on the different perspectives around intersectionality, a decades old concept—as well as dive into and understand the importance of using the theory as a tool to eliminate power imbalances altogether.
White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack | Peggy McIntosh | ACPA
We found that this article provides an interesting point of view with an extensive list of conditions of daily experience that are attached to race, can be easily forgotten due to inherent white privilege, and can only be shifted by taking active measures to bring systemic change.
Answering White People’s Most Commonly Asked Questions about the Black Lives Matter Movement | Courtney Martin | Medium
This article is a Q&A for people of privilege who want to learn more about racial justice, emphasizing where efforts should be focused and providing excellent advice by answering questions like: Where do I donate? Why is the uprising violent? Should I go protest?
Videos
Let’s Get to the Root of Racial Injustice | Megan Ming Francis | TEDxRainier (19:37)
We found this video to be inspiring and impactful. Megan Ming Francis, Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Washington, explains how America’s racial climate came to be – and how the “fixes” that don’t address the root causes of racial injustice are not really “fixes” at all.
What Leaders Must Do Today to Address Systemic Racism | Harvard Business Review (47:52)
This is a discussion led by the Harvard Business Review, about how today’s leaders can address systematic racism, and start real conversations about race within their organizations. Laura Morgan Roberts, a professor of practice at the Darden School of Business and co-editor of “Race, Work, and Leadership,” discusses how companies are responding to racism today – and practical ways that leaders at all levels can step up for their colleagues of color.
How Structural Racism Works | Brown University (60:00)
We felt especially engaged and informed from listening to Tricia Rose, the Director of the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America – who takes a research-based approach to her presentation about how structural racism works in the U.S. She explains the connection between policies and practices in housing, education and other key spheres of society to reveal the intersectional and compounding effects of systemic discrimination as a significant force in American society today.
Podcasts
1619 (New York Times)
If you’re also a history buff, this New York Times audio series is for you. The podcast, hosted by Nikole Hannah-Jones, examines the history and legacy of slavery and how the United States was built on both the language of freedom and the economics of slavery through powerful writing and archival audio.
Intersectionality Matters
This is a great podcast to start with if you are overwhelmed by the many choices out there, because it examines a plethora of issues and realities that are sometimes overwhelmed by other voices. Hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw, a leading critical race theorist who coined the term “intersectionality,” this podcast brings the academic term to life. Each episode brings together some of the world’s most innovative activists, artists, and scholars, to explore a different topics through an intersectional lens. Those topics range from the Supreme Court to grassroots activism in Brazil and the Congo to #SayHerName and the future of the #MeToo campaign.
NPR Code Switch
NPR’s flagship podcast makes it onto a lot of “Best Of” lists, and for good reason. It takes on race and racism across a spectrum of identities and offers personal stories, historical context, and impactful analysis on the challenging past and present of race in America. There’s a specific focus on making all of the United States a part of the conversation, as it explores how race impacts every aspect of society from history to pop culture, etc. Listen to episodes “A Decade Of Watching Black People Die” and “When Civility Is Used As A Cudgel Against People.”
Other Ways to Support the Movement
Support Local Black-Owned Businesses
Black-Owned Restaurants in the Boston Area
Other Black-Owned Businesses in the Boston Area
Stay tuned for more information on how the Scratch team will be further actioning our plan.
