some dude with a phone

Black people in America see images and messaging through the lens of white supremacy and racism in ways that other cultures and nationalities may not. The same way an Arab person might see something through the lens of their history and experiences, or a woman might see something through the lens of hers. That’s why diversity matters. When there’s only one type of person in the room making decisions for a global brand like @Nike, you’re only seeing something through one set of eyes. All sides have to be seen. I’m pretty sure a lot of white people can look at that image and never see a Klan hood or someone being lynched. But for Black Americans, especially Black families in the South, those images are connected to something so traumatic and so deeply ingrained in our history that we can see it immediately. That’s the entire point of having different people in the room. Not because every Black person thinks the same, but because lived experience gives people a different lens. The same is true for women, Muslims, Latinos, Asians, LGBTQ people, people with disabilities, and countless other communities. Diversity isn’t about checking a box. It’s about having enough different perspectives in the room to see what one group of people might completely miss. And when you’re a global brand speaking to millions of people from different backgrounds, that’s not just diversity. That’s common sense.