Over the past month, we have been putting a lot of thought and time into developing two important documents for this brand/business: our core values and beliefs and an anti-racism commitment.
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These are more than just words, these will be our guiding principles. Yes, we will still be making baby and children’s clothing, but as always, our designs and products strive to be about so much more than that. We hope you’ll join us in this work to intersectionally improve mental health for all mothers, all birthing people, all parents, and all caregivers. ⠀
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As part of our anti-racism commitment, each month we will be donating a portion of all sales to a different organization that supports Black mothers, fathers, parents, caregivers, birth workers, or children. As July is Minority Mental Health Month, we thought it fitting to select The Loveland Foundation Therapy Fund as our first organization. Established in 2018 by Rachel Cargle, The Loveland Foundation brings therapy support directly to Black women and girls who need it. We are so proud to support this important cause with 10% of all sales made in July. ⠀
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We are here to listen and learn and do what we can to make the world a better place. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have feedback, questions, or want to check in on our anti-racism action steps progress at any time.
Our Core Values and Beliefs
We believe:
No mother, father, parent, or caregiver should suffer alone from perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.
Maternal mental health should not be an after-thought of the pregnancy, labor and delivery, postpartum, or adoption experience. It should be discussed openly, honestly, and often by any health, medical, and/or birth professionals responsible for the care of mothers, birthing people, parents, and babies.
Calls and actions to improve maternal mental health and all mental health must not be whitewashed and must be intersectional, including all races and all gender identities. We must recognize and act to remedy the significant and deadly disparities that exist for non-white, non-cis-gender mothers, especially those in the Black and Trans communities.
We acknowledge how we have benefited and continue to benefit from white supremacy. We commit to listening, learning, and acting to become better allies and co-conspirators to end systemic racism.
Our Commitment to Anti-Racism
Joey for Roo is committed to anti-racism as both a company and individuals. We commit to the following action steps:
In acknowledging the whiteness of our brand and content, we will be working to diversify our imagery and story-telling in an honest and authentic way. We hope to accomplish this by:
Connecting directly with mothers, fathers, and parents of color who are interested in becoming brand ambassadors;
Using our platform to share the stories and experiences of Black mothers, fathers, parents, and caregivers; and
Amplifying the voices of Black parents, caregivers, and birth workers, especially as it relates to maternal health and mental health.
In acknowledging our privilege as a white-owned company in an economy rooted in white supremacy, we will be working to invest a portion of our monthly company budget to the Black community. We will accomplish this by:
Working towards at least 30% of our company budget going towards Black-owned businesses or individuals such as employees, vendors/contractors, software and services, speakers, books, and more; and
Donating a portion of each month’s profits to an organization committed to supporting Black mothers, fathers, parents, caregivers, birth workers, and children.
In acknowledging our responsibility to help end white supremacy and systemic racism, we will be using our voice and platform to amplify Black voices whenever appropriate and speak out against racism and hate. We will accomplish this by:
Seeking out the voices of Black parents, caregivers, and birth workers through social media, online platforms, media, books, movies, documentaries, television, and any other available sources. Amplifying these voices to be shared with our customers and community;
Never tolerating hate or racist speech or discussion; and
Never silencing the voices or experiences of Black, Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) on our social media pages, website, blog, or any other platform.
In acknowledging the fact that I, Joey for Roo’s founder, will never have a full first-hand understanding of the impact of systemic racism and white supremacy, we will always be open and receptive to discussion and suggestions of how we can do and be better allies and co-conspirators.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to us if you would like to provide feedback, thoughts, or check on our progress on any of these action steps.