She persuaded Sephora and Nordstrom to dedicate 15% of their shelf space to Black-owned brands. Now she’s reckoning with a massive DEI rollback

(Credit: Courtesy of Aurora James)

It’s been almost five years since Aurora James made the Instagram post that changed everything. 

In the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd in 2020, and the conversation around race in America that followed, the fashion designer went on social media and asked major retailers like Whole Foods to commit to buying 15% of their products from Black-owned businesses.