Activists Marissa Jenae Johnson and Leslie Mac were unamused when they first saw white people wearing pins in solidarity of Black lives.
Born from the online marketplace space, vendors were making highly decorative pins and selling them up to $300 in order to make a public statement. But the friends who have worked with Black Lives Matter in the past, knew there was a better way white people could support people of color.
Thus, Safety Pin Box was created.
The subscriber-based business charges patrons a monthly fee to receive a box filled with educational tools to be more aware of what’s going on in the African-American community. Subscribers are encouraged to use the information in the boxes as tools to impact their communities.
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“Be warned, while Safety Pin Box takes the impulses of performative allyship and stewards them for good—we do not recommend using your ally work as leverage or as a demand for recognition from Black people,” they note on the website. “Such actions will not only get you dragged across Black Twitter (probably by Leslie and Marissa themselves), but are also a manifestation of white supremacy.”
Proceeds from the subscriptions go to black women/femmes doing activism work.
According to Colorlines, any funds left after overhead go to salaries of Black women activists through their Black Women Being registry. Those who sign up are eligible for a one-time financial gift selected via lottery each month. By the beginning of March they’d distributed about $21,000 to 21 Black women activists.
The business launched in at the top of the year and already has 800 subscribers.
Find out more about Safety Pin Box be going here.