I’m happy that, as DEI programs in every industry are under attack (in honor of Black History Month, I guess?), I’ve seen very few advertising people come out and say, “I actually think that doing away with DEI is a good thing.” And the ones I have are… not what I’d consider to be good people.
The outliers who criticize it usually do it on the basis that, allegedly, it’s about handing jobs to underqualified people in the name of diversity, which relies on the assumption that those people couldn’t possibly qualify for said jobs without a nudge, instead of ensuring that equally/more-qualified people are included for consideration in the midst of hiring biases toward people who are, in general, straight white dudes.
I do have to mention, at the risk of killing the mood, even before recent attacks on DEI, the focus was falling off in agencies, with programs launched in the wake of George Floyd’s murder starting to fall off and agency culture suffering for it. The ad industry remains overwhelmingly white, and ethnic diversity actually declined over 2023.
So, yay! Everything’s cool and fun, and here are four places you can look to hire Black freelance creatives, to make sure you’re choosing from the full cohort of available talent and getting the best of the best.
Places to Hire Black Freelance Creatives, Because Y’all
This one leans to the tech-heavy side, so if you’re looking for web design, mobile app design, UX design, and such, it’s a great resource, but you can get logo design, social media, and the like as well.
BMAA Marketing Freelancers Directory
Courtesy of the Black Marketing Association of America. Access to the directory is $50, but it hooks you up with freelancers in every marketing discipline imaginable.
Black Stock Footage Creative Directory
Like it says on the tin, lots of professionals for stock footage, photos, and music, but also videography and production, photography, music production, and all the things.
Freelancers Union Black Freelancers Web Directory
Freelancers Union provides a constantly-updated database, currently nearly 900 strong, of freelancers and businesses in every discipline specializing every industry imaginable.
Also… that resume screener, though.
There’s also LinkedIn, which swears it’s been managing its algorithm to avoid bias, and then… you go and hamstring your search by using an automated resume screener.
I have all kinds of thoughts about AI screeners, but the most pertinent one here is that they’ve been shown to prefer white male candidates. In the year of our Lord 2025 — this remains an ongoing problem. Part of the problem is that when the AI is trained on the existing, unbalanced job market, it’s going to produce unbalanced results. (Garbage in, garbage out. AIs aren’t magic, and if you’re still working through that concept, please contact me.) Have your AI resume screener regularly checked for bias, make sure your job postings don’t include any rigid criteria that can exclude entire classes of people, and consider actually making your own decisions as a human being from time to time.
(And one last note: Actually considering said freelancers on their merits, instead of just adding them to your freelance roster and never calling them up to bat, is on you.) Go to your old staffing buckets, also go to new buckets, and be confident the person you choose really is the best. And maybe you and your new creative will look like those people in the stock image there, who appear to be super stoked about something, and I don’t know what it is but I’m happy for them.