RIM Blog

Taking part in the Inaugural Race in the Marketplace (RIM) Forum at American University in 2017 was a high point of my PhD process.

As a PhD researcher (University of Dundee) focusing on the media and digital experiences of Black women in Britain, it was clear that in order to be in conversation with others working on critical issues concerning Black lives, race and the marketplace, I needed to connect with people outside of my immediate surroundings as well as those within them. When I read about the RIM Forum being due to take place in Washington D.C. in 2017 (May 30-June 1), I knew that I wanted to be a part of it and visit the U.S. for the first time.

As I had never met anyone who was involved in RIM I was unsure about what to expect from the Forum. In May 2017 when I made my way to the opening reception event from my on-campus accommodation at American University, I immediately realised that I couldn’t have found a more welcoming community of scholars, practitioners and activists invested in understanding and addressing issues related to race in the marketplace.  

I remember that one of the aspects of the Inaugural RIM Forum which set it apart from many academic conferences was the emphasis on engaging with the space in whatever way felt most comfortable. I believe that the “come as you are” ethos and focus on mutual respect created an environment where people were able to voice their thoughts and hopes regarding the direction of RIM in 2017, while also sharing information about their own research, projects and plans to collaborate. 

A total of 46 people took part in the RIM Forum in 2017 and across a range of fields and career stages. Throughout the Forum there was the chance to attend guided meditation sessions led by scholar-practitioner Dr. Naya Jones, which offered the opportunity to pause, breathe, reflect and find a sense of grounding in between in-depth discussion of how issues to do with race function in the marketplace.

I participated in the RIM Forum in 2017 with funding support from the Marketing Science Institute/Association for Consumer Research. This experience resulted in me meeting other PhD researchers who explore the racial dynamics of marketplace contexts, including Marcel Rosa-Salas (New York University), who I have since had the pleasure of collaborating with in various and ongoing ways.

I vividly remember the last morning of the RIM Forum in 2017. It included time dedicated to sharing news of forthcoming projects and recent achievements. I spoke about having embarked on co-editing a collection about Black feminism in Europe (with Professor Akwugo Emejulu). Two years later, it was a joy to return to the second RIM Forum with copies of To Exist is to Resist: Black Feminism in Europe (published by Pluto Press in May 2019).

Following on from the RIM Forum in 2017 I was delighted to be asked to join the organising committee for the RIM Forum which took place at Université Paris-Dauphine in 2019 (June 25-27). My involvement included identifying an Independent Social Research Foundation (ISRF) grant opportunity, which we worked towards and were awarded in support of a project titled “Crossing Visionary Boundaries: A Transdisciplinary Photovoice Project of Race and Markets”.

 As I view the RIM Network as being a source of encouragement during my PhD journey, it was a pleasure to return in 2019 and to be involved in shaping the future of RIM. The Inaugural RIM Forum in 2017 provided a strong springboard from which connected activity has emerged, including the 2019 Forum where a broad variety of topics were discussed and depicted through written form, panels, talks and arts-based practice.

 Among examples of the different projects shared in 2019 is work on the role of GIF-making in understanding Black food geographies and linked experiences of racial surveillance (Jones 2019), as well as work on the ethnographic, lyrical and visual communication of issues pertaining to the conditions and experiences of Black travel in White supremacist America (Harrison 2019).

The Forum also featured a screening of the film “The Network of Hate” directed by Rokhaya Diallo and Mélanie Gallard, followed by a Q&A with Rokhaya Diallo and which covered questions about racism in digital space and online marketplace interactions. I was delighted to be a panellist who responded to the screening, including by reflecting on the intersecting nature of racism, sexism and other forms of structural oppression which impact people’s digital experiences.

Participating in the RIM Forum in 2019, where I became an advisory board member, was a highlight of my career so far. Over the course of the RIM Forum in 2019, over 100 people engaged in dialogue and shared ideas at sessions such as ones on Black Capitalists, Branding Social Justice, and Artificial Intelligence and Gentrification. Related work is captured in the edited collection Race in the Marketplace: Crossing Critical Boundaries (Johnson, Thomas, Harrison and Grier 2019).

Immediately before the start of the RIM Forum in 2019, an optional 1.5 day Photovoice Workshop took place. Through this workshop people engaged in critical conversations and photo-documentation of the racial dynamics of the Parisian marketplace and associated global issues.

Founded by Professor Sonya A. Grier, Dr. Guillaume D. Johnson and Dr. Kevin D. Thomas in 2017, the RIM Network has brought together different disciplinary, industry, creative, activist and international perspectives. Getting to be a part of how RIM develops is a rewarding experience that has enabled me to learn from and work with people committed to critical approaches to examining and addressing matters regarding race, racism and the marketplace.