The 15 Percent Pledge

Launched in 2020 by Aurora James, of Brother Vellie’s fame and other significant accomplishments, the 15 percent pledge initiative was born from seeing multiple acts of injustice and police brutality in the United States with a lack of accountability for the systemic issues at play. 

The 15 Percent Pledge in 3 Steps

Step 1

Take Stock of the percentage of shelf-space and contracts given to Black-owned businesses and suppliers at present.

Step 2

Take Ownership of your findings, thoroughly interrogating how existing blind spots and biases within your company and society at large have led to the disparities—and what concrete steps you can take to address them. Publish your findings internally and externally, and use them to inform a brand new vision for “business as usual.”

Step 3

Take Action Define and publish a plan for growing the share of Black businesses you empower to at least 15%, alongside a concrete strategy by which you plan to stay accountable to and transparent around your commitment. Execute your plan.

While this pledge was initially conceived by members of the retail and fashion industries with an eye towards mobilizing large multi-brand retailers to grow their share of shelf-space dedicated to Black-owned businesses, we fully believe that the spirit of this pledge and the steps we propose can be adopted across industries and in the lives of every individual, even at the consumer level. We encourage you to take this pledge in your own life, and share with us how you can implement a plan into your own life or within your company.