Black History Month
For Black History Month 2023, Stocksy is celebrating reflections of Black life and culture through the lens of our Black artists.
Our mission is to reflect the real world — to increase and improve representation within stock media that reflects the real and lived experiences of our communities.
Echoing the Black History Month 2023 theme of Black Resistance, we believe that Reflecting the Real World is a form of resistance to industry norms — a resistance to the complacency of doing what’s easy over what’s right.
The creative industry’s historical standard has perpetuated a narrow, white-dominant lens and a business-as-usual model that resists change. We at Stocksy resist the status quo and celebrate the reflection of Black experience to improve balance in visual media.
Black Reflections
"Reflecting Black life in my work is about telling the stories of black skin, and transporting people into the imaginations and aspirations of Black people."
– Lenny Lenya
“I feel extremely fulfilled working as a black creator helping to diversify stock video exclusively through Stocksy. Working with new and upcoming talent has been a personal appetency for me so I can help and mentor them during the sessions and offer them experience."
- Owen Hunte
“I reflect black life in my work by allowing black people to show up and exist as their true selves. It’s important to me that we are depicted in a way that is representative of who we are and not trying to fit us in boxes or characterisations that only pick small fragments from the whole individual but also the collective identity of blackness.”
- Maingaila Muvundika
“We seek to publicly honor and tell the stories of wonderful individuals through our work. We help others learn about the uniqueness of the Black culture while celebrating its differences and contribution to our world.”
– Bowie Productions
“I live black life and documenting the extension of my lived experiences and people I meet is as important to me as breathing.”
– Zahra Omer
Reflect the Real World
Call to Artists
We're always looking for diversity both in front of and behind the lens to reflect Black culture and experience. If you, or someone you know, is a Black artist click here to apply.
Resources
To continue to #ReflectTheRealWorld view the below resources to support Black artists around the world. Be inspired, informed, and impactful.
ESSAYS & LEARNING
- Navigating whiteness, part 1 - Timothy Bardlavens, Design at Meta
- Navigating whiteness, part 2 - Timothy Bardlavens, Design at Meta
- Creative Director and Teacher Forest Young on Designing a More Inclusive Future – Eye On Design
- Bloom Season: resources for entrepreneurs of color – Mailchimp
- Who Gets to Be Beautiful Now? – The New York Times (possible paywall)
- The Privilege of Mediocrity – The New York Times (possible paywall)
ART
- Tyler Mitchell’s Love for a Common Way of Life – Aperture
- Rope/Fire/Water – The Shed
- Free, White and 21 – Museum of Modern Art
- Black Joy Matters Collection – VSCO
- Redefining Representation of the Black Body Through Photograpy: An Interview with Antwaun Sargent – The New School Free Press
- Thelma Golden: How art gives shape to cultural change - TED
- Arthur Jafa: Love is the Message, the Message is Death - Juxtapoz
ORGANIZATIONS
- The Authority Collective
- BlackNorth Initiative
- Creative Ecosystems - A growing digital garden and directory of ecosystems that explore Black art & imagination
- The Audre Lorde Project
- Future Of Creatives
- Marsha P. Johnson Institute
- G.L.I.T.S
- arraygency
- The Okra Project