Black Lives Matter

This is a message to inform you, my clients, on where I stand as a small business owner.

I became a business owner for so many reasons, one of them being to be able to use my voice. 

This is what I have to say: 

Emily Mercer Beauty stands with the Black Lives Matter movement. My business is a warm and inviting space, but as many white folx are learning right now for the first time ever, warm and inviting sentiments and feelings of belonging -- are exclusive to whiteness. 

My workspace must be a safe space for all people of color. I am committed to my journey of unlearning my own internalized racism and uncovering biases and my own ignorance. I promise that this unlearning will be in the forefront of my business and will be reflected in the values, practices, and daily operations. 

There is no space for ignorance and hate here.

Boom. That's it. Very straight forward on where I stand.

And to be clear, I don't hate you if you are ignorant. But I will not be able to work with you if you are unwilling to learn. 

For my white clientele that are reading this email and Not. Getting. It. Maybe thinking things like "why wouldn't they feel safe?" OR having confusion of why the BLM movement is imperative for change. 

I'm here to talk. I'm not here to condemn you, but learning is necessary. 

I used to believe that I couldn't be racist because I was a "good person." I used to think that only racist people were people that did blatant racist sh*t. Like we could just point them out like Where's Waldo with an ocean backdrop. It wasn't until my freshman year of college, learning about white privilege for the first time EVER, that I had my first taste of unlearning. Like many white people, the ensuing defensiveness and martyr responses consumed me, and this is when I thought I was doing it "right." 

I'm not here to pretend that I know everything and that I don't make mistakes in this arena, every single day. I'm in it with you and learning is vital for change. If this speaks to you, please reach out to me with any questions. 

Let's be a part of the change. 

Best, 

Emily

photo by @arielsinhaha