APA DC: A Frank Conversation About Race and Diversity

APA|DC has held several meetings with the D.C. chapters of the American Advertising Federation (AAFDC) and the American Marketing Association (AMADC) to talk about this issue. We acknowledge that the majority of the leadership of these organizations are comprised of white men, and as such have a limited perspective. This needs to change. 

On June 23rd, we are hosting a photo community zoom meeting, open to ALL DMV photographers, of all genres, professional and amateur, to listen and begin to formulate ideas to tackle issues of lack of diversity and representation head on. Then, on July 15, APA|DC, AAFDC, and AMADC (hopefully joined by a few others) will come together for a larger community session to figure out some strategies for the larger D.C. creative community. This July meeting is one of our best opportunities to make sure that all voices in the D.C. photo community are heard by potential clients.

The general topics of the June 23rd meeting are:

    Discuss the underrepresentation of people of color (PoC) in the professional commercial photography industry.

    Honestly assess if APA is representative of the local professional commercial photography industry, in terms of racial and ethnic representation.

    Talk about barriers to entry that exist in the photo industry for PoC as a whole, and specifically in the commercial, advertising, and editorial niches.

    Discuss ways that APA|DC can better serve members of all backgrounds.

    Create a slate of ideas to present to other creative associations (i.e. potential clients) to demonstrate the wide range of talent and backgrounds in our industry.