SANDOW Commits to Support BIPOC Community
As people around the globe join together in support of racial equality, widespread change is being set in motion across many sectors, including the design realm. SANDOW—the parent company of Interior Design—announced today a commitment to take actionable steps to ensure more inclusive representation and coverage for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color across all platforms.
“Black Lives Matter. Period. We’ve taken time this week to examine our responsibility to the design industry, and the design industry’s responsibility to the BIPOC community,” Adam Sandow, founder and CEO of SANDOW, said in a statement. “It is our responsibility to utilize our platform to amplify, educate, and showcase diversity in design.”
Going forward, SANDOW commits to spotlight BIPOC design professionals. SANDOW also has partnered with the National Organization for Minority Architects, established to foster justice and equality in communities of color through outreach, community advocacy, professional development and design excellence. “We will be working to support NOMA’s K-12 access program, which introduces minority students to the field of architecture in the name of encouraging diversity in the next generation of design professionals,” says Sandow. “We will be actively promoting NOMA initiatives and events across the Interior Design network and website.” SANDOW also pledges to help educate BIPOC students and young adults about career opportunities in the design and architecture industry through partnerships with design schools and design faculty. Faculty interested in collaborating should email [email protected].
“We’re fortunate to have this platform the design community has afforded us,” added Sandow. “It’s time the world sees real change and we pledge to be part of creating a more inclusive design industry.” SANDOW also will donate $10,000 to fund a K-12 access program through NOMA that exposes minority students to the field of architecture in order to encourage diversity in the next generation of design professionals. Additionally, SANDOW will provide advertising and promotion worth $100,000 to give voice to NOMA’s mission and initiatives across our massive global audience of 11M+. And, to bring greater awareness to creative contributions within the Black design community, SANDOW will waive the entry fee for an established number of submissions to our annual design awards programs at Interior Design and Luxe and will also showcase exceptional minority female talent in Interior Design’s Women in Design book (out later this year).
“We realize the extreme importance of making permanent changes in our society and as a company, we stand committed to these efforts on an ongoing basis, not just for the time being,” adds Sandow.
