I learned about the AdColor Conference and its Futures program in 2018. An acquaintance attended the conference and shared her experience on Instagram Stories. And… I couldn’t understand how a professional, industry conference could be so blatant about the difficulties of being a person of color in advertising and also call out companies to create better cultures and working conditions for staff from marginalized backgrounds. I was floored! Those were the types of conversations I had with friends outside of the industry, or with very close friends within. Since then, I made it my mission to attend the conference in 2019 and make it into the Futures Program, which happened in 2020.
At the 2019 AdColor Conference, some of the things I learned were:
- In the discomfort that can be addressing conscious/unconscious biases, things move forward.
- Listen more to everyone who is an expert on the subject and take action on what they say.
- When you’re in a meeting, look at who’s in the room, and who has been kept out — and BRING those people in.
In the 2020 AdColor Futures Program, a few learnings were:
- Sometimes we’re holding on to narratives that no longer serve us.
- As marginalized people, career advancement is social justice work.
- Leadership is an exercise in problem solving & figuring things out.
- Be vocal and vulnerable, be tender and gracious with others.
- REST IS REVOLUTIONARY
I’m grateful to have found a professional space that believes in the radical notion that marginalized people deserve more, our voices and ideas deserve to be heard and acted upon, and that representation is not enough — that inclusion is a collective effort. In short, secure the bag, and make sure everyone else can, too.