“Believe Black Women” speaks to a larger problem of women of color having to work harder for their voices to be heard and trusted. This transformation starts with believing Black women first.

On 06/01, in the wake of national uprisings, our national board at AIGA released a statement regarding the violent killing of Black Americans by law enforcement. That statement used ideologies of change that were crafted by Antionette Carroll for Creative Reaction Lab without attribution.

AIGA Portland believes that individual contributions matter. As an org, we are not defined by status but by our actions & the quality of our relationships with the community we depend on. We believe Antionette Carroll & support her claims of creative ownership.

On behalf of AIGA Portland we would like to apologize for any pain that Antionette Carroll has experienced. We are not alone. Many local AIGA chapters around the country are dedicated to serving their community & stand in solidarity with Antionette.

Seeing our community stand up for Antionette Carroll is inspiring & reminds us that as leaders we must also lead by example. Moving forward we want to continue this conversation as an open & never ending dialogue. The journey to becoming antiracist is difficult & never ending.

We look forward to engaging with the community as other AIGA chapters join this dialogue. Each chapter is different and made up of vibrant, hard working individuals. While we are deeply distraught by #boycottAIGA, we understand the emotional toll that drives it.

We encourage everyone to participate in this dialogue as more voices emerge. AIGA Portland is dedicated to maintaining the integrity of our relationships & will work tirelessly to maintain & rebuild your trust.