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Dear Dean's List Community,

I know that no matter what I say or do will never be enough, but I want our community to know that we will always fight against injustices and inequities for communities of color. The Dean's List cannot and will not be silent during these troubling times. As a digital branding and career consulting agency, our core value is to empower everyone and build community. We share a deep sense of pain and loss from what we are seeing and experiencing right now across our nation and in our backyards. I am heartbroken and distressed by the countless years of injustice and intolerance that has led to the series of events over the past days and weeks.

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MLK's powerful words ring as true today as they did decades ago:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”  

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We have been doing the work, putting ACTION behind our words since we started 5 years ago to empower our clients and marginalized communities.

Unfortunately, we've had to postpone hosting any of our community building in-person events (Meetups, Dinners, EmpowerCon, etc.) until further notice due to coronavirus, but here are some of the things you can DO (not just say/post) to be an ally:⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

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  1. Seek out a diverse group of friends. Listen when POC talk about their experiences and their perspectives.

  2. Have those tough conversations with family members even if (especially if) they make you uncomfortable and you have normally been silent. 

  3. YWCA USA is having a Stand Against Racism event on June 25/26 - join in. 

  4. Donate to NAACP,  George Floyd Memorial Fund, and any other initiative that is working to end systemic racism and white supremacy. 

  5. Buy from black owned businesses.

  6. Google to see if your local police department has and requires body cams to be turned on. If they don’t, write to your city or town government representative and police chief to advocate for it.

  7. If you or a friend is an educator, buy books that feature POC as protagonists and heroes. Same goes for dolls/action figures.

  8. Watch 13th on Netflix ⁣⁣& follow Blavity and activists like Darien LaBeach to better understand the lives of black Americans.

  9. Take Rachel Cargle’s 30-day FREE anti-racism course to educate yourself on how to be a better ally: https://bit.ly/2XDYnvM. You can also venmo her @rachelcargle to compensate her for her incredible work.

  10. Call or write to your state legislators and governor to support state-wide criminal justice reform including reducing sentences for non-violent drug crimes.
     

We welcome you to stay connected with us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn. There are a lot of resources at a time like this and we'd be more than happy to help navigate through these tough times. 
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Black Lives Matter. Black trans lives matter. Black children matter. Black dreams matter. This is the time for us to SHOW UP.⁣⁣ 
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Silence is compliance. Our actions are the only thing accepted at this point.

Empower Everyone,

Meredith Dean
CEO, The Dean's List
Founder, EmpowerCon
@merenator

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May 2020

We succeeded in carrying out our vision of uplifting and inspiring all diverse walks of life at EmpowerCon at the Charlotte Convention Center in September 2019. The feedback we received from attendees throughout the day was phenomenal - people started finding true community, talked to people they may have not normally encountered, made quality connections with each other, gained new information & viewpoints, and felt like they could make a difference in their city and in each others’ lives.

Now one conference did not mean that we had fixed all of our problems. We have a long way to go in terms of social justice and equity, but it was a good step forward in Charlotte. We didn't just talk, we took action and have been committed to doing the work. 

Recap video edited by @meelovideo and shot by @rodartes.corner
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