Bloomingdale’s leads the growing list of retailers who are creating specialty items in honor of Black History Month. This month, they are selling the Ubuntu bracelet. In an exclusive interview, Anne Keating, Bloomingdales’ Senior Vice President of Corporate Philanthropy spoke to us about the meaning of the bracelet and the company’s history of giving back.
ESSENCE.com: Is this Bloomingdale’s first initiative of this kind in support of Black History Month?
Anne Keating: Bloomingdale’s supports and celebrates Black History Month every year via our special Black History Month dedicated windows at our 59th st. Flagship and also via special events in all of our stores across the country. This is the first year that we are selling a bracelet in celebration of Black History Month.
ESSENCE.com: What separates Bloomingdale’s bracelet from a lot of the others we are seeing from other brands?
Anne Keating: Ubuntu comes from the Zulu word meaning a “deeper understanding of humanity”, so it is a perfect fit for Bloomingdale’s – as we are committed to helping a variety of important causes year round. We are proud to offer the Ubuntu bracelet because it celebrates Black History Month in a stylish and fashionable manner, and most importantly it supports the Orphan Bracelet Campaign which helps provide a living wage to women in Africa (who handcraft each bracelet), as well as a child orphaned, due to HIV/AIDS, with food, education, and shelter
ESSENCE.com: Any ways/plans for Bloomingdale’s to celebrate Black History year round?
Anne Keating: Bloomingdale’s is committed to celebrating all ethnic backgrounds, in fact we have a special Diversity Council made up of Bloomingdale’s executives whose dedicated to celebrating, embracing, and encouraging all cultures.
Find it for just $15 at Bloomingdales, and learn more about the dynamic women who created the bracelets, here.