Our Support for Racial Justice

Last week, we thought about ways Nomad could help Black Lives Matter protesters, beyond an IG post and a tweet. So we donated 4,440 total masks to community organizers in Minneapolis as a start. One of the things unique to Nomad is our ability to quickly ship PPE to those who need it. We thought that getting masks to protesters and communities who are organizing for justice right now, was one of the ways we could immediately help out those on the ground. Making sure people have adequate PPE to protect themselves and others while protesting is something that we can do as a company right now.

We teamed up with our friends at Stigma Hemp, which was founded by an early Nomad employee, to get masks to the Minneapolis community. We wanted to help protesters stay safe so they could exercise their First Amendment rights to peaceful assembly and protest. We sent out 3,000 3ply masks and 1,440 KN95 masks for Stigma to distribute. Stigma donated their time and resources to give out the masks with the help of Pimento Relief services. Pimento Relief was organized by Pimento Kitchen, a local, black owned Minnesota restaurant. We are proud to have played a small role in donating where we could and to help business and community leaders like Pimento and Stigma Hemp. Stigma put together a short video to highlight the community of Minneapolis, coming together in support of justice and against racism. Check it out below.

While we, along with many other concerned individuals, companies and organizations have spoken out in support of racial justice and have sought to elevate the voices of those demanding it through our social media profiles and websites, we are determined to get more involved with hands on action and commitment. Just as we have taken a pledge to reduce and offset our carbon footprint through Climate Neutral, we are making another commitment to using our platform to elevate the voices of those fighting for justice. We want to come from a place of learning and openness. Nomad is here to support, listen, and learn. We are committing our internal time to diversity training and building a more inclusive culture here at Nomad. We are committing to including the stories and voices of People of Color in our social media and marketing presence. We are making donations, from supplies like the 4,440 masks we have already donated to organizations like Pimento Relief Services, or financial support to organizations fighting for justice like the NAACP and the ACLU.

As a company, we’ve come together to have an ongoing internal dialogue as to how we can do better and continue to provide support for Black Lives Matter. One thing that we’ve settled on is that there isn’t one single thing we can do to help. We can donate our time and our resources to people who have been fighting this fight for far too long. We can use our platform to give space to voices that are ignored and underrepresented. Supporting communities and challenging systemic racism requires concerted and consistent effort - we are in it for the long haul. While we wish we had gotten more involved sooner, we’re happy to be here now.

Thank you to the Nomad community for your continued support. Below are some links that we have found very helpful for finding concrete actions we can all take to help end racial injustice and resources for educating ourselves about the causes of systemic racism in this country.

Please note that this is far from an exhaustive list and is a starting point that we hope will be helpful. Please feel free to send an email to thenomadic@nomadgoods.com to share more helpful resources and organizations.

Color of Change: an online organizing platform that helps people respond effectively to injustice in the world. As a national online force driven by 1.7 million members, Color of Change moves decision makers in corporations and government to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people, and all people.

NAACP: The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has been fighting for racial justice for over a century. Check out their website to learn how you can help out. There are hundreds of local chapters and we urge you to check out yours.

Black Lives Matter: Black Lives Matter has been one of the leading voices in galvanizing action and organizing peaceful protests demanding the stop of government sanctioned violence against People of Color. You can support nationwide efforts and learn about how to get involved locally here.

ACLU: The American Civil Liberties Union has long provided legal support for groups and individuals who have been marginalized and mistreated. From lawsuits that challenge laws designed to prevent people from voting to providing legal aid to peaceful protesters who were wrongfully arrested, the ACLU is often at the forefront of the legal battle for justice. Join Nomad in supporting them here.

Diversify Outdoors: Diversify Outdoors is a broad coalition of brands, social media influencers and activists seeking to promote diversity and inclusion in both outdoor recreation and conservation. We want to highlight a blog and social media account associated with Diversify, @melaninbasecamp. For inspiring images, anti-racism resources and stories of People of Color in the outdoors, check it out.

Anti Racism Resources for White People: This compendium of resources gathered in one Google doc is a helpful start for white people looking to be part of the solution and fight racism.