Depop says it will "amplify" Black and POC sellers after failing to represent them
17 June 2020, 17:34
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Depop have now committed to donating $20,000 in fees to NAACP and another $10,000 to Black & Pink, The Okra Project and LGBTQ Freedom Fund.
Following the success of the Pull Up or Shut Up Challenge, brands are finally starting to become more transparent about the Black people within their company.
The challenge saw brands reveal how many Black people are in leadership or corporate level positions in their company and the results attracted a lot of conversation. Depop is the latest brand to expose their company demographics after being questioned by shoppers.
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On Tuesday (June 15), Depop released a full statement on its blog and an Instagram post announcing it would do more for the Black community and People of Colour. People had previously pulled Depop up on the lack of Black and POC sellers shown on the app. There were also concerns that there are no Black people in the company at a managerial level.
"Depop exists for people pushing for change. It’s a space where style and self-expression thrive naturally. With a community that believes in working together to make things better – and speaking up when things aren’t going that way," the brand wrote alongside its Instagram post. "Diversity has always been fundamental to Depop – but it hasn’t been represented fully on our platform and we’re changing that."
Within the post, Depop admitted that diversity hadn't been "fully represented" on the platform. They then committed to finding "more ways to represent and amplify underrepresented voices from Black and POC communities".
It also said it will "make it easier to shop and discover Black and POC sellers on the Explore page" and "increase the number of Black and POC sellers" on the platform and within the company.
In addition to improving Black visibility, Depop pledged to donate $20,000 in fees to NAACP and another $10,000 to Black & Pink, The Okra Project and LGBTQ Freedom Fund.