Jefferson Darrell 🖤 ✊🏾 🏳️‍🌈

Breakfast Culture wins PRnews' Social Impact Award: Best Campaign by a Black-Owned Business for The STEP FORWARD Project with client Ontario AIDS Network (OAN) and Podcast Partner 54 Lights.

The LGBT+ Business Advocate of the Year award recognizes an individual who has been a significant advocate and champion for LGBT+ businesses and entrepreneurs. The award is given to an individual who has used their leadership, platform, influence or position to advance the overall mission of improving LGBT+ inclusion in Canada’s economy.

Jefferson Darrell: At work, Jefferson’s holistic approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion incorporates intersectionality and consciousness of… Show more

The LGBT+ Business Advocate of the Year award recognizes an individual who has been a significant advocate and champion for LGBT+ businesses and entrepreneurs. The award is given to an individual who has used their leadership, platform, influence or position to advance the overall mission of improving LGBT+ inclusion in Canada’s economy.

Jefferson Darrell: At work, Jefferson’s holistic approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion incorporates intersectionality and consciousness of homophobia, racism, sexism, ableism, transphobia, and more. In leading Breakfast Culture, Jefferson has done phenomenal work advocating for LGBT+ organizations and the HIV/AIDS sector. Show less

For the last decade, the AToMiC Awards have brought together brands, agencies, media players and producers – shining a spotlight on the projects that challenge the status quo. Spanning advertising, technology, media creativity and content categories, AToMiC winners represent the best achievements across Canada’s marketing and media industries, the collaborations that show the way forward.

Introducing strategy’s Diversity and Inclusion advisory board

Earlier this summer, strategy and Media in Canada pledged to do better when it comes to elevating voices of colour across our editorial products and programs.

In the wake of ongoing racial justice protests calling for an end to systemic racism in Canada and around the world, we committed to holding ourselves accountable and to using our platforms to help drive lasting change. As a voice and forum for the marketing… Show more

Introducing strategy’s Diversity and Inclusion advisory board

Earlier this summer, strategy and Media in Canada pledged to do better when it comes to elevating voices of colour across our editorial products and programs.

In the wake of ongoing racial justice protests calling for an end to systemic racism in Canada and around the world, we committed to holding ourselves accountable and to using our platforms to help drive lasting change. As a voice and forum for the marketing industry in Canada, we will continue to highlight issues impacting Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) – and all marginalized people – as well as bring people and organizations together to help solve them.

As a first step towards that commitment, strategy and Media in Canada convened a Diversity & Inclusion advisory board whose goal is to offer a critical perspective and to advise the publications on our diversity and inclusion efforts. The initial focus is addressing the role our publications can play in the industry’s efforts to increase BIPOC equity within the marketing industry, and going forward, we envision expanding the group’s scope and makeup to address other forms of discrimination and prejudice.

The inaugural board consists of six members of the industry who identify as Black, Indigenous or People of Colour, representing various disciplines, functions and levels of seniority across creative, media, communications and PR, brand marketing and account management. They are:

Ishma Alexander-Huet, VP of client advice and management, Initiative
Sabrina Babooram, community partnerships lead, Dairy Farmers of Ontario
Dhaval Bhatt, creative director, Rethink
Jefferson Darrell, founder, Breakfast Culture
Danica Nelson, senior product marketing communications manager, Telus
Terry Rogers, account manager, Corus Tempo

During an initial board meeting in June, our team took the opportunity to listen and to learn how the industry views our role in supporting D&I in the industry. Show less

Goodwill or just for show? As political and corporate leaders speak out against anti-Black racism, some aren’t buying their sincerity

Article Link:

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2020/06/12/goodwill-or-just-for-show-as-political-and-corporate-leaders-speak-out-against-anti-black-racism-some-arent-buying-their-sincerity.html

Excerpt:

Jefferson Darrell, Toronto-based founder of Breakfast Culture, a marketing and communications firm specializing in diversity… Show more

Goodwill or just for show? As political and corporate leaders speak out against anti-Black racism, some aren’t buying their sincerity

Article Link:

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2020/06/12/goodwill-or-just-for-show-as-political-and-corporate-leaders-speak-out-against-anti-black-racism-some-arent-buying-their-sincerity.html

Excerpt:

Jefferson Darrell, Toronto-based founder of Breakfast Culture, a marketing and communications firm specializing in diversity, equity and inclusion, says if companies want to be sincere supporters of Black Lives Matter, they need to ask themselves key questions, such as: Are there Black people employed at all levels in your organization? Does your organization reflect the demographics of the community you’re serving? Does your organization support Black employees year round or just during Black History Month? What are your organization’s rates of promotion and retention for people of colour?

“If you are going to make a statement, make sure you have something to back it up if people do call you out,” Darrell said.

“Walk your talk, throw in some action with your words.” Show less

Why Pride sponsors shouldn’t hit pause during Black Lives Matter protests

A movement for racial equality happening during Pride presents an opportunity to recognize how diverse communities are, one expert says.

Article Link:

https://strategyonline.ca/2020/06/09/why-pride-sponsors-shouldnt-hit-pause-during-black-lives-matter-protests/

Excerpt:

For the many brands planning to activate around Pride, showing support can mean opening themselves up to criticism over… Show more

Why Pride sponsors shouldn’t hit pause during Black Lives Matter protests

A movement for racial equality happening during Pride presents an opportunity to recognize how diverse communities are, one expert says.

Article Link:

https://strategyonline.ca/2020/06/09/why-pride-sponsors-shouldnt-hit-pause-during-black-lives-matter-protests/

Excerpt:

For the many brands planning to activate around Pride, showing support can mean opening themselves up to criticism over past transgressions, empty promises and immovable corporate policies and practices. But it doesn’t end there. This year, the challenge of activating meaningfully during virtual Pride celebrations is rendered even more complex: brands will want to show support for the LBGTQ+ community while facing calls from Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) to address systemic racism in Canada.

“This is an opportunity for brands to recognize just how diverse the LGBTQ+ communities and just how diverse the ACB [African, Caribbean, Black] communities are by recognizing intersectionality,” says Jefferson Darrell, founder of Breakfast Culture, a consultancy focused on the intersection of marketing communications and diversity, equity and inclusion. At this moment, there’s an opportunity to “shine a spotlight on the QTBIPoC [Queer & Trans Black, Indigenous, People of Colour] communities, specifically by highlighting and acknowledging that Queer peoples come in all shapes, sizes and shades, in this case Black.” Show less

The Bourne Supremacy publicity campaign was featured as part of “brilliant public relations” profile piece in Strategy Magazine’s January 2005 edition

Recipient of Trillium Foundation’s Imagine Canada Award for volunteer work with the Ontario Black History Society