The nonprofit Buy From a Black Woman ended its partnership with H&M after four years in March.
As attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion at the corporate level continue, it’s evident that some of the first to be impacted have been Black women-owned businesses.
Whether it’s brands caught in the middle of boycotting consumers and big box stores or the end of major partnerships meant to bolster Black women’s businesses, Black women founders are getting hit from many sides.
Earlier this month, it was announced that after four years, the nonprofit Buy From A Black Woman, which strives to support and empower Black women-owned businesses, was abruptly ending its partnership with H&M.
“For four years, H&M partnered with Buy From A Black Woman, the organization I founded to support Black Women business owners. This wasn’t just another campaign but a real investment that brought visibility, resources, and opportunities to Black women entrepreneurs,” Buy From A Black Woman founder Nikki Porcher explained in a statement about the partnership’s demise.
Launched initially in 2021 to celebrate International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, the partnership supported the nonprofit in various ways, including donations, specialized shopping events, and more.
“And it worked. Then, suddenly, everything changed,” she said, adding that decisions about the partnership were made without her input, meetings were held without her presence, and she alleges the company canceled its upcoming International Women’s Day event without consulting with her.
The founder said her concerns were met with a plea to “not assume bad intent,” considering the history of their partnership thus far.
“That’s exactly when I knew this was about bad intent,” Porcher said.
Ultimately, she was left with two choices: “Let them continue using me and Buy From A Black Woman as a DEI placeholder, or walk away on my terms.”
Porcher chose the latter and decided to end the partnership, vowing to remain in service to Black women ahead of corporations.
In the days since, however, the narrative has spun to recast Buy From A Black Woman as another casualty of anti-DEI efforts rather than an empowered nonprofit remaining in control. And H&M has been left doing damage control around what they claim stems from a “misinterpretation.”
“The dissolution of the partnership with Buy From A Black Woman was neither H&M’s desire nor decision,” a company spokesperson told theGrio over email, adding that “it saddens us to no longer have the chance to provide our own form of valuable support to them.”
According to the fast-fashion giant, after a group meeting with reps from the nonprofit, communication ceased between the two parties “over the misinterpretation of a suggestion proposed by H&M” for a “categorically non-compulsory March event” that aimed to amplify the partnership. While it is clear H&M does not agree with the characterization of the drama surrounding this supposed event, they do, at least agree the breakdown between the two parties began here in large part. The “suggestion proposed” was neither a change of plans nor a breach of contract because the event wasn’t officially scheduled, according to the spokesperson.
“Requests were made by H&M, in good faith, to have an open dialogue around any concerns to ensure we were supporting the organization in a way that continued to amplify their vision,” the spokesperson explained. “Regrettably, this outreach went unanswered until a request from the founder of BFABW to end the partnership was received weeks later from her legal team.”
Beyond the meetings and the March event, Porcher was also growing increasingly concerned because, as she put it, “H&M’s shift isn’t an isolated case.”
The year began with Target rolling back its DEI, along with many other major big box chains and corporations, including Walmart, Amazon, Lowe’s, Victoria’s Secret, McDonald’s, Wells Fargo, and more. This paints a stark contrast to 2020 and 2021 when Black women business owners became the fastest-growing group.
“Now, many of these businesses are struggling,” Porcher said. “The doors that opened just a few years ago are closing again, widening the racial wealth gap and blocking access to resources Black Women entrepreneurs rightfully earned. Meanwhile, companies still benefit from the goodwill they built during the height of DEI initiatives.”
Porcher highlighted how H&M’s 2023 Inclusion & Diversity Impact Report references work by Buy From A Black Woman and that “Even after I left, they wanted to include us in their 2024 report, profiting from our name, our impact, and our credibility.”
In explaining this, the company’s spokesperson said while H&M did not request to use the nonprofit’s name or IP, they did request to include the partnership in their Inclusion and Diversity Impact Report for 2024 because “we remain proud of our joint achievements.” The spokesperson added that the company remains committed to inclusion and diversity.
Porcher is calling for greater transparency and accountability and for real consequences for broken promises.
“Companies shouldn’t get to profit from DEI and then walk away without repercussions,” she said. “The era of feel-good diversity statements is over. If companies can’t stand by their DEI commitments when it’s no longer trendy, they shouldn’t be allowed to profit from them in the first place.”
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