Today we reach out to you—our AIGA San Diego members, our colleagues, our friends, and our entire San Diego community—to say that we are listening and that we hear the calls to take action against racial injustice.

We know that Black lives matter and that the Black community has suffered the greatest loss throughout our country’s history, from the most recent killing of George Floyd to the countless others who have been killed and to all who have been discriminated against, both subtly and overtly, every single day. We recognize as an industry and as individuals, that we have to do better.

We have to do more. We must enact change and lift up people of color, now and for the survival of our collective future.

We know racism persists in our organization, our industry, in our schools, our police departments, our government, and in ourselves. AIGA San Diego acknowledges the issues, and we pledge to do our part to confront this egregious reality. We hope to empower and support our members and community to do the same.

With that said, there is no “playbook” for facing the immense challenge that systemic racism presents within reach of our organization and our local creative community—let alone at the national and global scale. Like many of you, we are listening, educating ourselves and continuing to raise awareness, while also uncertain of the best way to move forward.

To be completely transparent, we want to make sure that as an organization, we aren’t merely enduring this overdue change, but helping to facilitate a measurable impact within our community. We believe that begins with us—our internal practices and culture—and continues through the opportunities we create and examples we set as a chapter.

As such, we are going to be conducting a hard reset that will begin on July 1st. We openly invite both members and non-members to help us do better for everyone, to rebuild a chapter that we can all continue to participate in and stand proudly behind.

To understand the challenge today, to get at its core, we must come together as individuals to listen to those willing to share their own unique stories. Open and honest dialogue can be hard, and that’s okay—it will help us grow and lead to real steps toward real solutions that will support the needs of Black people and take action against the injustices of racism.

As we continue to activate and spread awareness, we will:

• Turn inward to examine our operational procedures and the reality in which our systems function, and refine our collective focus going forward
• Implement discovery surveys and participate in conversation and collaboration to ensure we are serving everyone
• Cultivate greater opportunity, inclusive design cultures and awareness of diversity issues
• Rediscover and define who are we, our driving purpose and what we stand for today with an eye on tomorrow
• Encourage civic engagement to improve our communities through education, involvement and support of local government and candidates who will act on reform
• Activate a transition plan, both internally and externally

We must start here, on the local level, to empower ourselves and take decisive action to raise awareness and organize ourselves to make lasting change. 

AIGA San Diego is asking for your support and to please support organizations and businesses that stand behind equal rights without discrimination based on race.

The ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties is fighting for individual rights and fundamental freedoms for all through education, litigation, and policy advocacy.

Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation is a global organization whose mission is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities.

Equal Justice Initiative is committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) mission is to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons.

Color of Change is the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. Driven by 1.7 million members, Color of Change moves decision-makers in corporations and government to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America.

Campaign ZERO is a data-informed platform that presents comprehensive solutions to end police violence in America.

#BlackLivesMatter

AIGA San Diego Board of Directors