It is no surprise that the world has evolved through many years of change, yet the hatred and discrimination between people continue to leave us divided. Our stance on racism is crystal clear - we do not tolerate nor condone the mistreatment of a human being based on their skin color, race, or ethnicity. Crow is a brand whose foundations rest on the harmony of the people and the environment, which we aim to practice.
The world has seen enough injustice around it, especially towards people of color. We understand that although we may never understand the pain that our fellow Balck community has suffered, we hope to learn and do better with our resources. We hope to spend time improving ourselves in ways that lead to a better society.
Here is a breakdown of a few aspects of Crow’s workings through which we dedicatedly practice ethical work. We continue to learn new methods of inclusivity every day, in awe of the journey that lies ahead of us.
Opportunities for Women of Color
At Crow, one of our goals is to close the gender gap. With our factory in the heart of India’s textile home, we actively provide opportunities to women in the hope of helping them create better lives for themselves and their families. We have worked with various NGOs that help train women with skills in weaving and dyeing that help them establish an income, gaining confidence and independence.
Some of our best weavers are women, and it is an absolute pleasure to work with their art and skill. Crow strictly believes in equality and ensures an equal income to our women weavers.
Creative content representation
The content that we put out through our social media represents us. We understand that our ability to influence our clients and followers with the simple act of uploading a picture is a great responsibility, and we aim to do it right. At Crow, beauty is celebrated and accepted just how it comes: natural. We embrace every skin tone and body shape, with models from all over the world representing real women. We do not edit any of our photographs - everything at Crow is natural, a reflection of nature.
Our models are dark-skinned, Asian, short, tall, and everything in between. We appreciate the diversity of women and admire the unique story each face tells. As we grow, we hope to continue challenging society’s idea of femininity and beauty, with a broader acceptance of women as women.
Inclusive Hiring guidelines
Crow believes in equality wholeheartedly. This includes equality in employment - which is why we are so passionate about women working and sharing the space. Our hiring guidelines do not discriminate based on any factors whatsoever and only look for skill and talent.
Although women in India have begun working, the proportion remains very low. To combat this, we constantly try to create opportunities for women that could potentially help many. Our hiring process simply looks for a creative person with a good heart that challenges our ideas of fashion and brings new, innovative thoughts to the studio. With a fair hiring guideline, our team at Crow has built over the past 9 years into one that is diverse and full of unique individuals that share a passion for sustainable living.
Internal awareness and education
As times change, learning about the struggles of our friends from all over the world continues to go on. We recognize our privilege and understand that not everyone in our team has access to the resources needed to understand and learn about racism. We have begun short training sessions for our employees that help spread awareness about the true gravity of the issue, with various publications as practical guidelines. Our training focuses on understanding the problem and the ways in which one can individually be an ally for the Black community.
Our supply chain and the impact of COVID-19
With the spread of the pandemic, COVID-19 has also impacted various indigenous communities that are an integral part of our supply chain. With many of them losing their jobs or not getting paid, these practices are never tolerated at Crow.
We will never exploit our workers simply for the sake of profit. Our empathy stretches out to our beautiful weavers who suffered during the pandemic, and we do our best to stabilize their living through the ways we can. Regardless of how orders from all over the world halted as travel was restricted, we paid all our employees what they deserve fairly and ethically.
Not only do we look out for our studio employees, but we also care about those in our supply chain. We do our best to track them down and ensure their work is ethical and treated with immense respect. Our artisans deserve equality regardless of their level in the supply chain - and we provide them with an ethical workspace the best we can.
More ways to help
Injustice and pain are something personal to each. To say that we know the pain that the black community has suffered is wrong, but we can try to understand it to the best of our capabilities.
A subject as sensitive as this needs to be treated with care, with respect to the lives of those we learn about, and with an active intention to improve inclusivity. Below is a compilation of resources that will help educate and inform about the current situation. Kindly do your own research about this before to understand the problem entirely.
Organizations to donate to:
An activist movement that advocates for the Black community with a focus on the police brutality that has been suffered.
Donors that give financial support to innocent Black victims that are prisoned for the wrong reasons.
This organization aims to raise money for better treatment of inmates, especially during the pandemic with the lack of social distancing and poor hygiene in jail cells.
After the Black Lives Matter movement, several stores were left damaged. Donations from here go towards rebuilding those stores and small businesses owned by the Black community.
With a focus on women of color and children, this NGO provides safe reparations funded by donations.
Black-owned businesses to support:
Beauty:
A range of skincare and haircare by Dana Jackson, she created products using natural ingredients.
A hair care line for all different textures of hair, Nancy Twine’s products have essential vitamins for quality hair.
Clothing and accessories:
Practicing impressive inclusivity, this underwear brand provides 12 different shades of nude garments for the perfect match.
Oke-Lawal spreads slow fashion with everyday wear designed using ethically sourced and sustainably created fabric.
Home Decor:
The home for everything plants, this brand is owned by a Jamaican native that caters to selling actual plants as well as gardening essentials like fertilizer and soil.
Beautiful artwork in the form of rugs, sculptures, and more, this artist draws her inspiration from her African heritage and promotes the lost art of Traditional Africa.
Books to learn from:
- ‘Assata’ by Assata Shakur
The beginning of Black activism, this book is an autobiography about the justice system in the ’60s and ’70s.
- ‘Breathe: A letter to my sons’ by Imani Perry.
This book is about the struggles of being a black parent, with an excellent explanation of the drastic measures a person of color takes.
- ‘I’m Still Here’ by Austin Channing Brown
The trauma of growing up as a black Christian is outlined in this story using real-life scenarios and the role of religion through the journey.
- ‘Me and White Supremacy’ by Layla F. Saad
An exploration into white supremacy, Saad dives into the parts of the world hidden with prevailing racism.
Podcasts to listen to:
- The Self Evident Podcast
A compilation of African American stories that explain the person struggles and serves as a virtual journal of the injustice in society
- The 1619 Podcast
Touching upon the history of slavery and the way it changed America forever, this is an informative podcast that also handles the subject of racial discrimination with sensitivity and explains the timeline in great detail.
- You had me at Black
A podcast that ignites relatability, it brings on different guests each time who share their personal stories of injustice to unite and support each other.
Easy to understand resources for children:
- ‘Skin like mine’ by Latashia M. Perry is a children’s book that is beautifully written, with discussions on topics like diversity and inclusion.
- ‘Mind Shift’ is a podcast for children by a first-grade Bret Turner. This easy-to-understand podcast deals with racial discrimination using examples that children will understand.
- ‘The Hollow’ is an animated series for kids available on Netflix, which promotes and appreciates the beauty of diversity through its characters. The fun storyline accompanied by characters of all skin tones is an excellent addition to children’s television.