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The black farmer praised Sainsbury’s Christmas announcement, which sparked boycott threats and called on rival supermarkets not to avoid the controversy.
Wilfred Emmanuel Jones previously appeared on the retail giant’s campaign to promote Black History Month, receiving an overwhelmingly positive response.
However, a subsequent advertisement for a series showing a black family enjoying a traditional British Christmas – the first of three festive promotions – drew criticism on social media including claims that it was a « hypothetical » and « unrepresentative ».
The Windrush Generation Entrepreneur seeks to increase diversity within the UK’s food, retail and agricultural industries.
In October, his Black History Month campaign, which Sainsbury has supported, raised funds for charities such as the Black Cultural Archives and the Mary Seacole Trust.
“The supermarkets have to start doing a lot to prove that they represent all of Britain,” said Mr. Emmanuel Jones. For years, I’ve been trying to get to supermarkets to celebrate Black History Month.
“This year, with Black Lives Matter, I thought that if I couldn’t get them to do it now, it would never happen..
“I wrote to every CEO in every supermarket in the country to get them to stand behind this.
“The first people to join the ship were Sainsbury’s and Co-op, and they should be really credited with making a decision about their need to make a change, even though it was a struggle with others.
“The backlash against Sainsbury’s was an illustration of the job to do.
“They need praise and it is ironic in this day and age that what they did is considered brave. He is brave because they have an enormous backlash.
« This is what history has taught us. The people who stand still and do nothing are the ones who need to do some navel staring and ask themselves if it was right to use competition as an excuse not to stand with Sainsbury’s.
“It is not acceptable for other supermarkets to remain silent, and they have to prove that they are part of the change.
Sainsbury’s ad, named Gravy Song, shows the family in a nostalgic home video interspersed with festive photos as father and daughter speak on the phone.
One viewer tweeted: “Isn’t the UK supposed to be interested in diversity and inclusion? Don’t see any of that here.. Virtual mentions if you’ve ever seen them.
“I thought the ad was very good,” said Emmanuel Jones, former producer and director of BBC Television..
“I spoke to someone who said he feels like an outsider because there are no white people in the ad.
“I replied that this is how black people feel most of the time because there are no people to represent them. I see it all the time when I go to the main offices of supermarkets and big companies, there are no black people at all. You think, « It’s not true. ».
« One of the most important things about the Black Lives Matter movement is that it is the » Me Too « moment..
“Blacks and white liberals could stand up and talk about these things.
“That’s why Sainsbury’s should be commended. But this change also needs to be represented in the place of strength, and not just by plastering over the cracks in the TV.
The businessman, 63, says supermarkets are largely beholden to their shareholders in an effort to show they are exercising corporate responsibility on green and other issues..
Praised Sainsbury, which stocks Black Farmer’s products including premium pork sausage, for taking steps that reflect the modern British experience of Christmas.
“Everything Sainsbury has done has largely come from the top, the CEO, who has sent a signal to all of his employees and shoppers about what they stand for,” he said.
“He should be commended for doing this, and others need to learn some lessons that officials need to give signals about what is important..
« Often times when it comes to racing, big companies hide by their HR and statistics departments to hide the fact that even though they have black clients, they are not actors.
From his Devon headquarters, proudly driving the Union Jack on his products, the father of three tries to reflect a modern British experience, rather than forcing the niche market into the mainstream.
He founded The Black Farmer after realizing his childhood dream of owning a plot of land in the British countryside, and offers « unlimited flavors ».
Mr. Emmanuel Jones said: “The moment you categorize someone as ethnic, you take them out of the mainstream.. The Black Farmer is about being part of the mainstream, which is why I raise the British flag.
“For example, when I was trying to get supermarkets to store my products, they couldn’t get around the perfect British sausage made by a black man, they thought it was made for black people.
“We want to be the most inclusive retailer where colleagues love to work and customers love to shop,” Sainsbury said in a statement..
“We are proud that our ads represent the diverse communities we serve and that our Christmas campaign includes three stories from three different families.. Sainsbury’s for everyone and it’s important for us that our ads reflect this.
Sainsbury’s, Asda Stores Limited, Christmas Day, Tesco PLC
World News – GB – Black Farmer defends Sainsbury’s backlash advertisement
Ref: https://metro.co.uk