BEAUTY AND personal care brand SheaMoisture has announced the creation of a social justice coalition with a $100,000 investment in support of activists working toward social change and as a direct response to continued racial injustices. In addition, SheaMoisture has pledged £20,000 for one UK activist.

The company is also introducing ‘This Has to Stop,’ a digital initiative as part of the beauty and personal care brand’s continued commitment to supporting communities of colour and its work combating institutional prejudice and inequalities.  

The announcement comes in the wake of the global unrest resulting from the death of George Floyd, the unarmed black man who tragically lost his life at the hands of Police in Minneapolis.

SheaMoisture will award $20,000 each to five different activists in the U.S. and £20,000 for one UK. based recipient. Through the ‘This Has to Stop’ campaign, the brand will let its community’s voice be heard and give people the opportunity to recommend to which social justice areas they would like the investments allocated. Among the potential categories are mental health, legal services, voting initiatives, and training and education for mobilising political action groups.

The initiative was formally launched by SheaMoisture CEO Cara Sabin who said: “Reinvesting in our own communities has always been our driving force. Now more than ever, it is imperative for us to commit resources toward driving progress and address the traumas and injustices we face.

“We are having the hard conversations, while also ensuring that our community knows we are creating a safe space and a platform to drive change. SheaMoisture will continue to amplify the voices of our community at a time when they want to be heard, seen and more importantly, valued.”

Since its founding, SheaMoisture has been committed to reinvesting in the communities it serves, and in fact, seeks to over-serve the underserved. It started by ensuring black and textured hair women felt fairly represented in the beauty industry and beauty aisles and has recently manifested in the $1 million fund launched in April.

The fund provides women of colour entrepreneurs and minority small business owners relief and a path to recovery from the economic and societal fallout from Covid-19. The fund was the largest of its kind and continues to award financial relief and provide recovery education to entrepreneurs who are being adversely impacted by the inequalities and discrimination found in formal relief and stimulus programs.

This initiative includes the £44,000 UK. Community Commerce Salon Relief Fund which awarded black female-owned U.K. salons with grants to support their businesses during Covid-19. In partnership with WCAN, a young social enterprise dedicated to the personal and professional development of black women, the fund also continues to provide long-term business support and mentoring for the recipients, to ensure the long-term success of their ventures.  

The Advisory Council to the Social Justice Coalition has been announced as: Planned Parenthood President and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson, Black Futures Lab Principal Alicia Garza, Backstage Capital Founder and Managing Partner Arlan Hamilton, Professor and Author Ilyasah Shabazz, Wake Forest Professor Dr. Melissa Harris-Perry, University of Southern California Provost Professor Dr. Shaun Harper, Until Freedom Co-Founder Tamika D. Mallory and the NAACP’s Director of Youth and College Division Tiffany Dena Loftin.

The selected activists will be paired with a member of the Advisory Council who will mentor them throughout the SJC partnership and advise the Sundial Brands leadership on the future direction of not only the SJC, but the racial and social justice work the company has committed to globally.

“It is important that the Advisory Council for the Social Justice Coalition is overwhelmingly made up of black women,” said Sundial Brands CEO,Cara Sabin.

“Black women are often overlooked in politics and yet remain the most civically engaged and loyal electorate the country has to offer. SheaMoisture has always been committed to supporting black women entrepreneurs by developing meaningful relationships, substantive partnerships and programmes with those in our community, in order to provide long-term solutions with sustainable impact.

“As we expand to amplify social justice advocacy as a cornerstone of the SheaMoisture brand, black women must be at the helm of this most important work.”

Visit: SheaMoistureFund.com.