As BLM Turns 10, W+K Reflects With 'We Still Matter'

We+Black, Wieden+Kennedy Portland’s Black employee resource group, created a moving video that commemorates the upcoming 10-year anniversary of the Black Lives Matter movement for equality and social justice.

The video begins with audio news coverage following the 2012 fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin while members of We+Black look into the camera. Activist Alicia Garza coined the phrase “Black Lives Matter” following the acquittal of Martin’s killer, George Zimmerman. Now, we see Garza and We+Black reflect on the intervening years.

“We wanted the viewers of the film to be able to feel the raw and genuine moments that we experienced while filming our stories,” says Ben Howard, art director at W+K. “To do that, we filmed in a way that created intimacy between everyone on set. The interviews felt more like conversations between friends, sharing our true thoughts on what it means to be Black and to matter in America today. We wanted to highlight the emotion and humanity of our stories by shooting beautiful portrait shots throughout the film.”

The video will run on agency social channels and its original music was scored by David Henry Jr., a W+K New York employee who creates music under the name Nukbeatz.

In addition, OOH elements will run on select trains in Portland, Ore., and highlight local Black businesses. Earlier this month, We+Black hosted an art gallery experience featuring three local Black artists from the city.

Click to enlarge images from the event:

“With a name like ‘We Still Matter,’ we really wanted the campaign to extend beyond Black History Month,” Shareina Chandler, copywriter at W+K, tells Muse. “We also wanted a campaign component that was local to the Portland Area, and out of that came ‘Black Businesses Still Matter.’ In late January and throughout February, many Black businesses get a burst in activity for Black history month, and then it’s crickets for the rest of the year. This is a way to remind people that these businesses are still here, and still worth supporting, even when it’s not trendy to do so.”