Munroe Bergdorf joins L'Oreal Paris' Diversity and Inclusion board following 2017 sacking and 'gaslighting' Black Lives Matter post

Model Munroe Bergdorf revealed today on social media that three years after she lost her job as a brand ambassador, she and L’Oreal Paris have had an “open and constructive conversation.”

The brand fired Bergdorf in 2017 after she spoke out against a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville and about white privilege, but last week posted in support of Black Lives Matter - a move which was highly criticised by both Bergdorf and others on social media.

Bergdorf said the post was “gaslighting” and said the brand "threw me to the wolves for speaking out against white supremacy."

She shared their post and responded, “You do NOT get to do this. This is NOT okay, not even in the slightest. Where was my support when I spoke out? Where was my apology? I’m disgusted and writing this in floods of tears and shaking.”

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I wanted to give @lorealparis 48 hours before writing this to see if a public apology was possible. But their choice to ignore me and not acknowledge the emotional, mental and professional harm that they caused me since sacking me in 2017, after speaking out about white supremacy and racism, speaks volumes. So does their choice to not engage with the thousands of black community members and allies who have left comments of concern on their last two posts, in response to their claim to support the black community, despite an evident history of being unwilling to talk about the issues that black people face globally because of white supremacy. Black Lives Matter is a movement for the people, by the people. It is not here to be co-opted for capital gain by companies who have no intention of actually having difficult conversations regarding white supremacy, police brutality, colonialism and systemic racism. It cannot be reduced to a series of corporate trends by brands like L'Oréal who have no intention of actually doing the work to better themselves or taking ownership of their past mistakes or conscious acts of racial bias. I would not have been sacked if I had said what I said and was a cisgender, straight, white woman. It just wouldn't have happened. If you want to stand with black lives matter then get your own house in order first. This could have been a moment of redemption for L'Oréal, a chance for them to make amends and lead by example. We all get things wrong, we all make mistakes, but it's where you go from there that is a signifier of who you are. L'Oréal claiming to stand with the black community, yet also refusing to engage with the community on this issue, or apologise for the harm they caused to a black female queer transgender employee, shows us who they are - just another big brand who seeks to capitalise from a marginalised movement, by widening their audience and attempting to improve their public image. Brands need to be aware of their own track record. It's unacceptable to claim to stand with us, if the receipts show a history of silencing black voices. Speaking out can’t only be “worth it” when you’re white. Black voices matter.

A post shared by ＭＵＮＲＯＥ (@munroebergdorf) on Jun 3, 2020 at 9:34am PDT

She later posted an additional statement addressed to L'Oreal Paris, saying she had given the company 48 hours to respond but it had failed to do so.

She criticised it for choosing "to not engage with the thousands of black community members and allies who have left comments of concern on their last two posts, in response to their claim to support the black community."

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Bergdorf announced that she would be joining L’Oreal Paris’ Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Board as a consultant, helping to “practise what I preach and take up that seat at the table to be the representation that we deserve as a community.”

She added that the conversation was with the brand's new president Delphine Viguier “who reached out to me directly.”

I have spoken with @loreal, please swipe for full statement.

Thank you everyone for having my back with this matter over the past three years, it hasn't been easy.

Looking forward to new beginnings and a new positive relationship with the L'Oreal team.

Munroe x pic.twitter.com/DxltLF8Z7j

— Black Lives Matter ✊🏾 (@MunroeBergdorf)

June 9, 2020

Bergdorf is an activist who champions black, trans and queer people and she announced that L’Oreal would be making a £44.5k donation split equally between trans charity Mermaids and UK Black Pride.

She continued, “As an activist, part of my work is to encourage big businesses to understand their responsibility with regards to diversity and inclusion. It’s imperative that in all industries, a wide range of people from different backgrounds and experiences are in the room at all levels and in decision making roles, to reduce oversight and to create a product that is built with all people in mind.”

Bergdorf said that it felt “good to finally have closure on this matter” and said, “I believe in accountability and progress, not cancellation and grudges... I look forward to new beginnings with the L’Oreal team.”

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Bergdorf addressed her firing in 2017 in the new statement, saying that it was “extremely traumatic for me personally and professionally.”

Previously, Bergdorf responded to a Charlottesville white supremacy rally by writing on Facebook, “Honestly I don’t have energy to talk about the racial violence of white people any more... Yes ALL white people.”

“When I stated that ‘all white people are racist’, I was addressing the fact that western society as a whole, is a SYSTEM rooted in white supremacy - designed to benefit, prioritise and protect white people before anyone of any other race,” she continued.

Bergdorf’s post was later deleted and L’Oreal responded at the time by saying the brand “champions diversity”, though, “comments by Munroe Bergdorf are at odds with our values and so we have decided to end our partnership with her.”