Source: http://www.jasonhusseinmurphy.com
Project + Exec is a new series where I’ve decided to seek out footwear executives who are minorities (Black, Latino, Indian, Native American, Asian men and women) who are doing some dope work, but are being overlooked by the larger media outlets. It’s my small part. I really hope you look more into the brands and people behind them.
The posts so far in the series have focused on the work of executives and designers and why you should know them. This post is much different. I consider this the transitional post. If I was going to sit down and start a board of directors for diversifying the footwear industry, Jason Hussein Murphy would be the ‘speaker of the house’. The reason I’d choose Jason is because this video should be required viewing during the hiring process not just for footwear industry jobs, but for every industry. This video captures the duality of a professional in an industry who has to take on the responsibility of speaking out. If you watch this video, in Jason’s body language and laughter those who understand his story can feel the anger, frustration and fear in using your platform to layout the inequities within an industry. The uncomfortable laughter comes when we feel that what should be common sense really isn’t common at all. The incredible lack of understanding when dealing with peers of different backgrounds is indeed laughable, but in Jason’s speech it’s laughter to keep from crying. It’s the awkward moment of being the only Black person in the room. I’ve felt this on a number of occasions. Jason explains that in a place that is supposed to be liberal, the West Coast, Portland, that the workforce doesn’t even mimic the population, it’s less representative and because of this the work being done isn’t as great as it could be.
This doesn’t mean that a workforce should breakdown by culture and race. A company should consist of a hiring process that creates a workforce that can answer the demands of the public it serves. If Nike is trying to sell 1000 pairs of shoes to people who come from all walks of life, then reaching all of those people will require a group that has a grasp on how to deliver the story to those people. Does this mean that there has to be a campaign or a person of every color on a campaign? NOOOOOOOOO. It means that a company has a better chance of hitting its target when a group of creators comes from every walk of life.
When you don’t have a diverse workforce you get an H&M ad campaign where a black kid is given a shirt that says he’s a monkey in the jungle.
When you don’t have a diverse workforce you get Kendall Jenner stopping cops from gunning down Black kids with a freaking soda.
When you don’t have a diverse workforce you get a lack of representation that ultimately affects your profitability (although money shouldn’t be the issue, it’s the only thing a lot of people understand).
Jason states all of this in the video below.
23 years in the industry has made Jason an elder statesman. With those years is a wealth of knowledge, a ton of beautifully crafted campaigns and insight into the most important issue in footwear right now, diversity. Jason delivers a statement in this video on how diversity has come to mean White women and not much else. He doesn’t fault racism. He establishes that the systemic issues of hiring practices is at the root of the problem. In his words, people only know what they see and if that picture, video or image in front of them presents Blacks in a certain way that is the way they view Blacks in their heads when placed in a position to make hiring decisions. Those images they think make up all of Black and Brown America leads them to continuously hire people who look like them because that makes them comfortable.
Corporate America, Footwear in America can continue to live in the matrix and ignore the lack of inclusion to the detriment of the business, or they can watch this speech and begin a dialogue that is sorely needed.
Oh and just in case you were wondering if Jason does incredible work under this video are a few concepts from Mr. Murphy.
Read this article for more insight:
https://designobserver.com/feature/chain-letters-jason-murphy/39769