In the midst of an ongoing global pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement spreading worldwide, readers turn to see how their favorite editorial magazines and content creators are using their platforms.
Bon Appétit
When the world’s most infamous chefs aren’t cooking back-to-back with celebrities, revamping gourmet foods or teaching viewers how to cook during quarantine, they’re unifying their voice to aid in the Black Lives Matter Movement.
Editor-In-Chief Adam Rapoport penned an open letter to the Bon Appetit community offering how they themselves as a magazine will move forward in the aid to help support the movement.
“We don’t have all the answers. We know we have work to do. Food has always been political whether we say it or not. Now is the time to say it,” Rapport shared in his article.
The BA Test Kitchen content creators have separately all used their platforms to acknowledge the issues and raise funds for a variety of organizations affiliated with the movement.
- Alex Delany, Sohla El-Waylly, Andy Baraghani, Brad Leone, Rick Martinez have raised funds the NAACP and it’s legal defense funds
- Claire Saffitz has supported the Brooklyn Community Bail Fund
- Chris Morocco and Gaby Melian are supporting the ACLU
- Priya Krishna and Amiel Stanek are currently backing Campaign Zero
- Molly Baz is focused on the National Alliance on Mental Health adding focus to the African American sector
- Christina Chaey is showing support for the Make the Road New York
In a statement online, the Condé Nast magazine has offered to support the views of Condé Nast as a publication, highlight Black-owned food business and encourage change within readers and the publication themselves.
Byrdie
A member of the Dotdash publishing family with other publications including MyDomaine and Brides, Byrdie is producing content relating to the ongoing movement ensuring readers a welcome and diverse space.
“…committed to creating an inclusive space that lifts up diverse voices and celebrates the unique beauty found in each of us…No matter your background, skin tone, hair type, or budget, you can come to Byrdie and feel like you are being seen and represented,” Byrdie stated on their site.
Beyond the numerous articles surrounding the movement, Byrdie has taken to social media to provide public support and resources to its audience.
“Byrdie may be a beauty website, but that doesn’t mean we won’t speak up when it comes to matters like stopping racism and hate. We know we have a platform and will always use it to spread the message of inclusivity, equality, and human rights,” Byrdie shared on Instagram.
Cosmopolitan
Perspectives and resources. To reach audiences is the first step and giving vital information to help is another. Cosmopolitan is doing just that along with giving a voice to those in the community.
Hearing first hand the perspectives of Black women, including that of author Tiffany D. Jackson and Senator Kamala Harris. These women are not only addressing the country but also addressing the Black community by offering forms of guidance, reassurance and support.
“Let’s speak the truth: People are protesting because Black people have been treated as less than human in America. Because our country has never fully addressed the systemic racism that has plagued our country since its earliest days. It is the duty of every American to fix. No longer can some wait on the sidelines, hoping for incremental change. In times like this, silence is complicity,” Harris stated in her exclusive piece with Cosmopolitan.
Cosmopolitan continues to bring these voices to the forefront as they have launched a new initiative to share their sentiments of the ongoing struggles their readers are facing and hoping to change.
Vogue
For those who say it isn’t political, Anna Wintour just said it is. In an editors letter, Wintour urges readers to register to vote writing a message to Joe Biden, Democratic presidential nominee. She demanded change and a voice for others while acknowledging flaws in the current state under Trump’s presidency.
“We should understand that the violence against black people in this country—including the appalling murders of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia, Breonna Taylor in Kentucky, and George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota—is a shared national tragedy, one we all need to reckon with. The need for change should fall especially on those of us who enjoy incredible privileges; we need to listen and learn and take action to ensure social justice and basic human rights for people of color in this country,” Wintour stated.
Along with her letter, Wintour’s team of writers have been publishing articles and distributing resources relating to the movement. Covering all areas, Vogue has acknowledged the irony of protestors being incarcerated, the need for support for the Black trans community, the history behind aspects of the movement and more.
The editorial industry is known for its lively entertainment, however, in today’s America the duties to use large platforms only grows as all try to work and undo the systematic racism the nation is built on.
