A single heartfelt email sent by a black employee of Wieden + Kennedy to co-workers the morning after the first of two shooting deaths of black men at the hands of law enforcement this week has turned into a powerful #BlackLivesMatter statement featured on the Portland agency’s website.
Thursday afternoon, hours before five police officers were killed by a shooter who ambushed a protest in Dallas, the agency converted its website to simple white text on a black background, displaying only the full text of the email. The note expressed the complexity of emotions felt by a single black staffer in the aftermath of Alton Sterling’s shooting death on Tuesday, but eloquently encapsulated the voice of many.
For those of us who work in marketing/advertising, Wieden+Kennedy has this on the landing page of their site. pic.twitter.com/QTKUWp66wE
— Eartha Litt ?? (@MADly_INsane) July 8, 2016
https://twitter.com/_gerardo/status/751486113999564800
Props to Wieden + Kennedy. ??? #BlackLivesMatter https://t.co/vzy8Nn3c4z
— Gerardo Rodriguez (@_gerardo) July 8, 2016
A spokesperson at Wieden + Kennedy said the email sparked an open and honest dialogue within the agency. The decision to post the note in its entirety was made in the hopes of expanding that dialogue beyond the agency itself, they said.
It looks like it may be doing just that.
(This article first appeared on CampaignLive.com)
