I don't see how we can write about this news without talking about the elephant in the room: cultural appropriation. It's a topic that has been hotly debated in recent years, and for good reason. Companies have been accused of taking elements of black culture and profiting from them without giving back to the community.
In the article, executives at BI Brands discuss the importance of authentic support when tapping into culture. But what does that mean exactly? And how can companies ensure they are truly supporting a culture rather than exploiting it?
For us, it's simple: we don't just want to tap into black culture, we want to be a part of it. That's why our project MCMXXVI is inspired by the legacy of the Safe Bus Company, the first Black-owned busing company founded in 1926. Located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, operating from 1926 to 1972, during a time when access to opportunity was limited, Safe Bus represented Black ownership, resilience, and the power of building your own table when a seat wasn't offered.
We're not just telling a story with our project, we're creating an experience that goes beyond music and fashion. We're transforming history into something that people can touch, feel, and connect with on a deeper level. And we're doing it all with authenticity at the forefront of everything we do.
It's not enough to simply pay lip service to a culture. Companies need to genuinely understand and respect the community they are tapping into. They need to be willing to put in the work to make a real difference, not just for their bottom line but for the people whose culture they are using as inspiration.
We believe that true cultural support means giving back to the community. It means investing in the future of the people whose culture you are tapping into. It means being willing to take risks and challenge the status quo, even if it means sacrificing short-term gains for long-term benefits.
That's why our project MCMXXVI is more than just a storytelling project. It's a call to action for companies to truly support black culture, not just for their own gain but for the betterment of the community as a whole. And it's a reminder that true cultural support means going beyond simply paying lip service to a culture. It means understanding and respecting the people whose culture you are tapping into, and being willing to put in the work to make a real difference.
In the end, we believe that true cultural support is about more than just words. It's about action. And it's about authenticity. And that's what we're striving for with our project MCMXXVI.
Source: Tapping into culture requires authentic support, execs at BI Brands in Music Summit
