Hi, We’re Rep Co

Nice to meet you. I guess we should introduce ourselves…

Erin Feher, Akilah Cadet, and Fredrika Newton. Photography by Aubrie Pick

So...the world, huh? I don't know about you, but it often seems even more surreal since most of us are only able to see and comprehend it through our screens these days. Which means the media. Which...well, that’s us. But we're here because we have a few issues with the status quo. 

Such as: Certain people weld a lot of power over which stories get told, and how. I have been one of those people for over a decade. And I know that in every single one of my leadership positions, I have failed. Failed at acknowledging, and then actively dismantling the ways in which white supremacy shaped our content. From design mags that showcased nearly all white and wealthy faces and spaces to news and lifestyle mags that aimed to represent our city but ignored entire communities. 

I've worked with hundreds of wildly talented people over the years and I know that almost each and every one of them wants to use their talents tell in-depth, important stories that shift the world for the better. But though an unfortunate convergence of greed, algorithms, and a global pandemic, that's harder than ever these days. So, when I found myself furloughed from my writing and editing job I decided to use my time and energy to try and undo some of what I helped support. And I asked many of you to join me.

REP CO is completely pro bono creative collaborative made up of some of the best and most powerful in the media biz that offers free, high-quality content creation as well as PR and marketing for Black and POC-led businesses, non-profits, activists, artists, racial-and-social justice actions, and more. Together, we can create beautiful, captivating, ready-to-publish, free or low-cost content that spotlights the people, organizations, and issues that have been ignored for far too long. We work with Black-and POC-led organizations and our Executive Advisory Team to come up with story ideas. And starting today, we invite the general public to suggest story ideas or profile subjects right here, and for media professionals from around the world to sign on to join us right here.

While we can make phone calls and sign petitions and attend protests, everyone who is part of REP CO wields specific power around messaging and media. We've all sat at our desks and asked "are there good images?" "is there a timely hook?" and passed over a worthy story when the answer was no. We know the secret codes to get the stories published, and it's time we used them for good. Look, we may have been told in J-school that journalism is objective, but I hope that illusion has been thoroughly busted by now. So we are here to use our out-of-the-closet objectivity for change. Here’s how:

WE ACKNOWLEDGE
The foundation of traditional American media is rife with white supremacist ideals and practices that has resulted in real harm to Black and brown communities. As media professionals, we recognize that our “decades of experience” has resulted in ingrained racist habits.

WE DISMANTLE
We commit to actively resisting white supremacist practices in every layer of our storytelling, from reporting to editing to writing to how we visually illustrate our stories. No system is left unexamined. We refuse to stand behind the often harmful facade of tradition.

WE COLLABORATE
All of our pieces are produced and vetted in the collaborative "advertorial" style—but we call it "activistorial" instead. Because many of us are white creators with good intentions but ingrained racist ideas, we hand over editing power to our subjects. They can read their quotes, they can have final say over the images we use. They tell us what the story is that needs to be told.

WE SHARE
We both publish our pieces on the REP CO site and work with our media partners to get them picked up (at no or low cost to the media outlet) elsewhere, since the mission is to disseminate and elevate the message, not monopolize the content. 

WE COMPENSATE
While non-BIPOC contributors do, and always will, create REP CO content for free, we will always pay any and all Black creatives fairly for their work with the funds we have available. Your Patreon membership or individual donations go directly to pay our Black contributors. So donate today!

WE LEARN
The one thing we know for sure is that we will not get it right immediately. We probably won’t get it completely right, well, ever. But we will be actively learning and evolving every day.

On that note, please go ahead and dig into our stories, sign up for our 5 Things newsletter to get weekly action steps delivered right to your inbox, and let the feedback, criticisms, call-ins, and ideas flow right back to me. I'm here for all of it.

Thanks for coming by.

-erin