African-Americans don’t rock Merrell footwear or apparel.
That should change immediately.
Footwear and apparel companies have the ability to change the outlook and direction of Black and Brown kids. The amount of money the companies make should be utilized to empower the kids who make these brands billions. Here is the thing about Merrell, Black kids don’t rock the brand. Black kids don’t even participate in outdoor activities really. There isn’t a reason for the brand to actively pursue that segment … and that’s what makes this one of the most beautiful videos I’ve seen.
This isn’t marketing and watching it feels like a documentary more than content created to open the dialogue to a new customer. I get chills when I listen to the discussion and in Tyrhee’s words and through this video I can see Soul Trak arriving in the cities I’ve lived in most of my life: San Diego and Memphis. I can see him leading workshops that will empower Black kids and let them know that it’s okay to live outside of the box and dream bigger.
Merrell just hit the target; an extremely small target considering the brand has no means of reaching the demographic they are speaking to with this art. This investment touches the right parts of the soul. I can only hope that the people who worked with the brand on this are Black and that they also have a voice inside of the company. Because, as I recently wrote, we are here and we matter. While Black kids aren’t really rolling with Merrell, the African-Americans who are hiking and traveling should really pay attention to the brands who are opening channels of interaction:
Description of the video from the Merrell website:
We are excited to announce the launch of our latest film, Bringing It Home, which will be released on Merrell’s social channels tonight at 8:15pm ET. Though we seek to incorporate our JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) initiatives in all forms of our marketing, this film is part of a series dedicated to the outdoor origin stories of individuals and groups that haven’t always been represented within the outdoor industry.
This film features Tyrhee Moore, a mountaineer, outdoor education advocate, and founder of Soul Trak, as he tells the story of his connection to the outdoors that was fostered at a young age. Born and raised in one of the toughest neighborhoods in South East Washington, D.C., Tyrhee still resides in the area today and passionately dedicates his time to inspire and educate urban youth about the power of, and accessibility to, the outdoors.
Through City Kids Wilderness Project and his organization, Soul Trak, Tyrhee is enhancing the lives of his community’s next generation by helping them discover local nature as well as some of the world’s more beautiful landscapes. See what else he has to say in his post on the Merrell blog.
Merrell is a proud supporter of Soul Trak and has made a donation to the organization in order to support Tyrhee and his important efforts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6Ty6IGFFQE&feature=youtu.be
