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Forbes: How The Jewelry Industry Is Mobilizing To Stamp Out Racism August 05, 2020 (0 comments)
New York, NY--Forbes has recently taken note of new, diverse voices writes Kate Matthams, Senior Contributor, Forbes. (Image: Melanie Eddy courtesy Melanie Eddy.)
According to the article: In the wake of the global social justice movement over recent weeks, black jewelry designers have found themselves thrust front and center as consumers look for ways to show their support. Like many other luxury industries, jewelry notoriously lacks diversity and while round-ups of black-owned jewelry businesses are a step in the right direction in terms of visibility, barriers remain to people of color accessing the industry at all. Budding initiatives on both sides of the Atlantic are aiming to drive change, opening up the industry to more diversity, more creativity and more innovation.
“For too long, you have been missing our voices”
New York-based designer Angely Martinez is leading the way in the US, with a new representation organization for BIPOC (Black Indigenous and People of Color) jewelry designers, the Jewelry Industry Task Force. “Our skill set and contribution remain valid and equitable to our peers and contemporaries. We ask the jewelry industry to recognize the vast, historical underrepresentation of BIPOC in the commercial facet of the industry. For too long, you have been missing our voices, nor have we had equal opportunities,” reads the group’s manifesto, which goes on to outline the awareness and action required for more equal representation. It was sent as an open letter to the industry earlier this month, signed by 29 BIPOC designers from around the world, including Castro NYC and Emefa Cole, with support from groups including the Jewelers’ Vigilance Committee (JVC).