Racism in the wedding industry is not a new issue, nor is it one we are blind to here at Junebug. From our photo contests to our Instagram feed to the weddings we share on our blog, we recognize that our efforts to represent ALL forms of love have fallen short. The wedding industry has been called out time and time again for highlighting a limited view of love by only showing white, heteronormative couples, for featuring venues historically used to oppress Black people, and for valuing the work of white wedding professionals above the talent and perspective of Black and POC artists. In light of the anti-racist conversations happening on social media and beyond, we are here to tell you that we take responsibility for our shortcomings, that we acknowledge the ways we have perpetuated racism in the wedding industry, and that we are committed to change. We unequivocally support the celebration and the safety of Black lives and Black love.
Our mission has always been to showcase a variety of ways to celebrate love to help couples around the world plan a wedding that reflects them. It is evident from looking at our feeds that we have a long way to go in achieving this mission. We hear you when you say there is not enough diversity in the couples we feature on our blog and social channels. We see that our vendor directory is severely lacking in talented Black artists around the world. The ways in which we’ve attempted a more inclusive representation of weddings have not been enough.
It is beyond time we step up to not only be the truly inclusive resource you and we both expect us to be, but to pursue the deeply necessary anti-racist education to help us achieve it. We are listening and we are learning new ways to acquire weddings for our blog that showcase Black love as well as weddings featuring members of other underrepresented communities. We acknowledge that a key element of dismantling racism is to redistribute wealth, which is why we are dedicated to taking extra care in promoting the businesses of Black wedding professionals now and in the future.
Our education and operational change will be ongoing, but right now we can promise you that we are committed to:
- Listening to our followers and understanding what they need from us
- Investing in anti-racist education by Black creators
- Using our platform to educate our followers and promote equality + Black liberation
- Sharing more Black love
- Sharing more work from Black vendors
This conversation is far from over and we are open to hearing your feedback and ideas as we move forward.
Ready to join us? Here are some resources our team has been using and will continue to in the future:
- The Great Unlearn and Revolution Now by Rachel Cargle
- Racial and Social Justice 101 and 202 by Ericka Hart
- Anti-Racist Daily by Nicole Cardoza
- 1619 Podcast by The New York Times
- How to Support Protesters in Every City via Paper Magazine
