The work continues...so what comes next?

Yesterday morning, I wrote a post which started 'The Work Continues' about how we can't allow ourselves to be distracted by the violence, noise and performance around racism last week in the UK.

In my Substack , I share some next steps for people who are committed to 'Doing the Work' (the name of my Substack newsletter). And on the LinkedIn post, I shared a very clear call to action.

• Recommit to your anti-racism promises.
• Invest in anti-racism experts and training to help you dismantle systemic racism.
• Pay anti-racism practioners for our labour.

So what comes next?

Honestly I am exhausted. As a Black woman, working in anti-racism, this is exhausting.

The knowledge that, as is always the case, the country's leaders will seek to respond to last week's violence with more state-sanctioned violence whilst ignoring the root causes and systemic issues is exhausting.

The reality that, as Nova Reid brilliantly put it in a comment on a post last week

"It's easy to show up with a placard on the street every now and then. It's much harder to commit to the everyday action and the internal work that is required to change culture and systemic issues."

And I am exhausted by the realisation that, as many followers as I gain on here, it probably won't result in more people engaging with our work at Brand by Me . I'd love to think that this resurgence in interest is about a genuine wish to learn and re-engage with anti-racism work or to understand how brands can play a role in tackling systemic racism and how communications can deepen and embed white supremacy in wider society.

Let’s assume that's the case. If so, what comes next?

You can join my paid community on Substack. You can buy our DISMANTLE report (an anti-racism audit of charity brands). You can book me as a speaker . You can engage our anti-racist brand consultancy services .

Or you can continue to hang out here, learning from my occasional posts for free. For now.

Because if you are really serious about tackling systemic racism, you will invest. Not just with me or Brand by Me. You will invest your time, your energy, your resources. You will invest in expertise, guidance and learning - with several anti-racism experts, especially those who are Black women.

You won't hide behind the comfort of DEI, an occasional repost or doing nothing, even if the status quo seems insurmountable. (N.B. If you're new, here's why DEI won't help you in anti-racism work). You'll even move beyond a mass protest or gathering once in a while, or thinking that reading a book once is enough.

What comes next is the real work.

Thank you for being here.

Collette Philip is the founder of Brand by Me , the anti-racist brand agency.

This newsletter, Brand by Us is an occasional publication for brand-builders and communicators who are serious about anti-racism and equity. For more content, head to our blog , follow Brand by Me here or on Instagram .