Black people have always had to validate their inherent allure in the face of oppressive beauty standards. In today's world, we are no longer accepting lesser treatment of acknowledgment on account of this.
After the launch of her nonprofit Pull Up For Change and the accompanying #PullUpOrShutUp campaign in June 2020, Sharon Chuter, founder of Uoma Beauty, is relaunching the Make It Black campaign with new beauty brand partners for Black History Month. In an effort to continue shifting perceptions around what it means to be Black, the initiative is simultaneously raising funds for the Pull Up For Change Impact Fund, which provides capital to emerging Black founders. Last February, over $400,000 was successfully raised and deployed to eight emerging black business founders.
In a statement obtained by EBONY, the Make It Black campaign outlines its mission as an aim to "deal another blow to systemic racism by reclaiming the word black and making consumers understand that black is nothing but beautiful. Make it Black is making a bold statement to change the inaccurate and dangerous negative perception in society of the word and instead reframe and refocus on the beauty of Black...Black is the color of absolute luxury—it’s chic, classic, timeless, and iconic."
“As a Black Female founder, I understand, first-hand, the struggles of raising capital or accessing funding,” says Sharon Chuter. “In fact, I am one of only 93 Black women in the history of America who have raised over $1M for startups. On the other hand, the average white male receives $2.1M to fund their start-ups. We have a long way to go to create true economic equality and there is no equality without equity. This is where I am proud to play a small part in supporting other Black female founders to make their dreams a reality, and to truly get the seat at the table that they very well deserve”.
The Make It Black iconic beauty products for retail include e.l.f. Cosmetics Total Face Sponge, MAC Cosmetics Lustreglass Sheer Shine Lipsticks, Morphe x Make It Black Empower Your Expression 18-Pan Artistry Palette, UOMA Beauty Make It Black Color Palette and Badass Icon Lipsticks. These limited-edition products will be available for purchase throughout February and will be sold online with Ulta Beauty, through IPSY and BoxyCharm’s subscription boxes, Make It Black and participating brands’ websites.
