Dear readers,

Wit & Delight’s mission is to help readers design a life well-lived. We cannot fulfill this promise if we are not actively valuing the lives of our Black readers, specifically by standing against the systems of oppression. We took the week to address where we were falling short, how and why it was happening, and to outline a plan that starts with how we operate day-to-day.

This is my commitment to you.

Wit & Delight is focused on building an antiracist platform. To remain transparent and be held accountable, we’ve included actionable dates and a timeline for progress.

We haven’t earned our role as an ally. We’re working to change that.

At the beginning of last week, my knee-jerk reaction was to assume the side of “ally,” without looking at my past evidence of complicity in the system that perpetuates racial injustice:

• A history of few BIPOC individuals on our team
• Our current team of white women
• Underrepresentation of BIPOC voices in our contributing writers
• Microaggressions attributed by blind white privilege

It’s clear that we have work to do. Here are actionable steps we’re taking going forward:

1. Investing in education.

Our team is taking courses to better educate ourselves about becoming antiracist and creating a business model that holds humanity as the central focus. We are currently enrolled in The Great Unlearn online learning platform from Rachel Cargle and working through Business Beyond Profit from Toi Smith as a team. We are meeting weekly to discuss, beginning this week. 

I also have enrolled in How to Show Up in BIPOC-Only Spaces Without White Centering and Dismantling White Feminism, both by Layla Saad, author of Me and White Supremacy. I decided to focus here first as this platform does center around my inherently privileged experiences.

2. Hiring BIPOC voices.

We currently are looking for a contributing editor to assist with content creation on Wit & Delight. Our goal is to hire this editor as soon as possible; however, we will be doing work to make sure we fully understand the correct hiring practices that create a safe and inclusive environment. Without a seat at the editorial table, we’re not going to be able to make an impactful change in our content. We have a small team, and this role will make an enduring impact on the content we create.

In addition to adding a BIPOC contributing editor, we are planning to add additional BIPOC voices to our contributing writing staff by the end of 2020. We are currently accepting contributing writer submissions—please send your submissions to hello@witanddelight.com.

This is only a starting point. We will be continuing to make a greater effort to hire diverse voices when job openings and contributor openings become available in the future.

3. Amplifying and purchasing from BIPOC-owned businesses.

Starting immediately, you will see more products and resources from BIPOC-owned businesses and stores featured in all of our content going forward. Submissions are always welcome at hello@witanddelight.com! 

4. Donating to mental health initiatives that support BIPOC individuals, specifically Black women.

We’ve set up a recurring monthly donation to The Loveland Foundation Therapy Fund, which provides financial assistance to Black women and girls nationally seeking therapy. This is a consistent donation we are committed to going forward. 

How will we be held accountable?

We won’t be making sweeping statements on how we’re “doing better.” We promise to simply do the work. We won’t be transforming our content to talk solely about politics and race, because that’s not where we lead with expertise. Our actions will be consistently visible within our daily choices. 

Timeline: 

1. Educating our team – ongoing, beginning immediately
2. Hiring a contributing editor – by the end of summer 2020
3. Adding additional BIPOC writers to the contributing team – by the end of 2020
4. Including BIPOC resources, businesses, and products in all content – beginning immediately
5. Making a recurring donation – monthly, beginning in June 2020

We create the kind of content we do best with our eyes open, privilege in check, and our community at the front of our minds. We’re going to get it wrong from time to time. We intend to do more. I hope we can call on each other to do the work constructively, with room for the freedom of expression. We will not tolerate any form of racism, the threat of life, or bullying on this platform.

The comments are open below but know that I don’t make these statements for praise from people who believe we’re doing the right thing. If you have feedback for us, we would love to have a direct dialogue with you about how we are moving forward. You can email us here.

Love to you all,

Kate

Kate Arends

Kate is the founder of Wit & Delight. She is currently learning how to play tennis and is forever testing the boundaries of her creative muscle. Follow her on Instagram at @witanddelight_.