3 Lessons for Building an Anti-Racist Brand That Lasts

At Brand by Me, we know that building an anti-racist brand is long-term work. It isn’t a quick campaign or a carefully worded social media statement. It’s not a one-off event in October or February. It’s a deep commitment to real change that runs through your whole organisation.

And because this is long-term, how you bring people on the journey matters just as much as the destination.

Too many organisations stumble into anti-racism by rushing, outsourcing the responsibility to a handful of staff, or making bold promises they don’t follow through on. That approach doesn’t just fail, it causes harm.

If you are looking for anti-racism support or want to work with an anti-racist brand agency, here are three lessons you need to know.

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1. Prepare People Without Overloading Them

When you ask people to step into anti-racism work, you need to set them up for success. Too often, organisations either:

• Throw people in with no context. Staff are expected to front campaigns or handle tough conversations without any preparation. When they’re asked questions they can’t answer, it undermines credibility and trust.
• Overwhelm people with information. We’ve seen brands run crash-course style “anti-racism induction days” that leave people feeling paralysed instead of empowered.

Neither works.

The key is balance. Give people enough information so they know what’s expected and feel ready, but don’t drown them in detail. You don’t need to map out the entire journey (no one can, because anti-racism is long-term, evolving work). What you can do is be clear about what’s involved right now and give people the support they need to take the next step.

That way, people feel confident enough to show up and do the work.

Want help preparing your teams? Explore our anti-racism support for organisations.

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2. Share the Load

One of the biggest mistakes brands make is relying on a handful of individuals, often people from Global Majority backgrounds, and particularly Black people, to carry the whole burden
of anti-racism.

This shows up when:

• Staff from Global Majority backgrounds are expected to share their lived experiences repeatedly, often for free.
• A single “diversity lead” is appointed and everyone assumes the work is covered.
• The same small group of people are asked to respond to every racist incident or draft every statement.

This is extractive, exhausting and unsustainable. It places responsibility for dismantling racism on the very people harmed by it.

Real anti-racist change comes when responsibility is shared across the organisation. Everyone has a role to play, from leadership to comms to frontline teams. It doesn’t mean everyone does the same thing, but it does mean everyone is involved.

When leaders model anti-racist behaviour, when managers build accountability into everyday practice, when communications teams integrate anti-racism into brand voice, the work becomes embedded. It stops being a “project” and starts becoming part of who you are as an organisation.

By spreading the work across many people, you avoid burnout, create wider accountability, and build a culture where anti-racism is part of everyday practice, not a side project.

Learn how we can help with anti-racist brand strategy.

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3. Celebrate Milestones

Anti-racism work is tough. It involves discomfort, courage and persistence. Progress can sometimes feel slow. That’s exactly why celebration matters.

Too often, brands only stop to take stock at the end of a big project, or worse, not at all.
This sends the wrong signals:

• It suggests that anti-racism has an “end point,” when in fact it’s ongoing.
• It makes the work feel thankless, which drains energy and motivation.

Celebration doesn’t mean pretending the work is done or ignoring challenges. It means recognising that even small steps forward are worth marking.

Did you shift your recruitment process to reduce bias? Celebrate.

Did you create space for your comms team to test new anti-racist language? Celebrate.

Did you make mistakes but learn from them and commit to doing better? Celebrate that too (once you have started taking action on that learning and seeing impact, of course). 

Acknowledging progress and recognising the people driving it fuels momentum. It shows that anti-racism isn’t only about calling out what’s wrong, it’s also about building joy, equity and resilience along the way.

Find out how our anti-racist comms support can help you celebrate progress while staying accountable.

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Building an Anti-Racist Brand Takes Commitment

At Brand by Me, we’re an anti-racist brand agency that helps organisations turn good intentions into real change. That means preparing people for the journey, sharing responsibility across teams, and celebrating progress as you go.

This is not quick or easy work. But it is possible, and it is necessary.

If you want support with anti-racist strategy, communications or brand work, we’d love to help.

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Get in touch with us today to start building a brand that’s actively anti-racist, not just in words but in action.

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