'My Black is Beautiful' effort aims to improve lives
Behind every Procter & Gamble product is this mission: To touch and improve lives.
As P&G's successful "My Black is Beautiful" initiative illustrates, creating products isn't the only way the $84 billion Cincinnati-based company is accomplishing that mission.
On Tuesday, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center hosted a viewing of "Imagine a Future," a 30-minute documentary that's an offshoot of P&G's 6-year-old "My Black is Beautiful" initiative. It's a nontraditional marketing model that the world's largest advertiser is creating -- designed not to sell specific products but to improve African-American women's images of themselves and to promote loyalty to P&G brands in hair care, cosmetics, oral care and feminine care.
P&G supported the documentary, which airs July 5 on BET, in partnership with Black Girls Rock! and the United Negro College Fund. Linda Clement-Holmes, a P&G senior vice president who served as the company's chief diversity officer for two years, said it was a natural fit to work with other organizations that are dedicated to positively impacting the lives of young African-American women.
"We realized that together we could make a bigger impact than each of us could individually," Clement-Holmes said following Tuesday's viewing, which also included a panel discussion.
"Imagine a Future" follows the story of Delaware teenager Janet Goldsboro as she travels to South Africa to examine the beauty and self-esteem issues that African-American women and girls face, and comes back a more empowered young woman. Those challenges – exacerbated by the portrayal of African-American women in music videos and other media – often include insecurities about hair and skin tone.
"Boys say, 'I like the light-skinned girls.' Or, 'I like white girls because I want my baby to come out pretty,' " Goldsboro says in the film.
Goldsboro connected with Black Girls Rock!, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting positive images of women of color in mass media through leadership camps and other initiatives. "My Black is Beautiful" and Black Girls Rock! helped facilitate Goldsboro's trip to South Africa.
Lisa Cortes, executive producer of the Academy Award-nominated "Precious," and Shola Lynch, who directed "Free Angela Davis" and "All Political Prisoners," directed "Imagine a Future." Beverly Bond, founder and executive director of Black Girls Rock!, is the documentary's executive producer. All three women and Goldsboro attended Tuesday's screening.
P&G and its partners hope "Imagine a Future," which debuted during New York's Tribeca Film Festival in April, will eventually impact the lives of 1million African-American girls. The documentary is just one part of a bigger campaign that includes scholarships, leadership camps for girls and online consumer interactive tools.
P&G and the "My Black is Beautiful" initiative are donating $100,000 in book awards and scholarships through UNCF; helping sponsor the Black Girls Rock! initiatives, which include leadership camps; and hosting workshops designed to empower African-American girls.
While a powerful business case supports the "My Black is Beautiful" campaign, P&G says "Imagine a Future" is not about selling products, but rather about helping young African-American women define beauty for themselves.
"The documentary is a catalyst to empower and connect black women around the world," Clement-Holmes said. "We want to give them an impactful voice."