What does LaToya Williams-Belfort (she / her) have in common with Issa Rae? She’s rooting for everybody Black. LaToya is the executive director of 15 Percent Pledge, the nonprofit convincing Sephora, Macy’s, and other companies to dedicate 15% of their shelf space to Black businesses.

We spoke to the proud New Yorker about making monumental change in major retailers, how to know when a brand is just “performative,” and what Marvel films have to do with it all.

How did you get involved with the 15 Percent Pledge?
I worked in nonprofit advocacy for many years. During the racial uprising of 2020, I was questioning if I was being intentional and additive to the societal conversation; and I [was] digging around what long-term change would look like. Everybody was talking about systemic racism, and as a Black woman, that conversation wasn’t new to me. But I felt there was an opening in the universe [where] real change could happen. [Then] I came across the 15% Percent Pledge. What [founder] Aurora James was doing was a sustainable model to close the Black wealth gap. So I was drinking the Kool-Aid, and I was able to meet Aurora. This was her baby, and I was on the same page with her approach and idea about what this growing organization should look like.

You’re partnered with Nordstrom and Ulta. How do you get huge brands on board?
We go out to retailers and present the business case! We say working with Black businesses and diversifying your supply chain is good business. However, it’s so much more than a diversity proposition. We know a lot of companies made big promises in 2020 about equity, diversity, and inclusion. Our council looks at public statements, financials, and impact possibility, then we make [our] case. We have a lot of businesses that come to us and say, “We recognized our system has not been inclusive, and we really want to take on the pledge to help us diversify our supply chain.”

Have companies you’ve approached turned you down?
2 have declined. [But] it’s not a, “No, this isn’t a good business case or we don’t believe in what you’re doing.” It’s a, “Right now, we don’t have the proper infrastructure to do this the right way.” On the flip side of that, we’ve told companies that come to us and approach it from a performative perspective—not being able to make the internal investments in infrastructure it will take to get this done the right way—[no]. Not a flat-out “no,” but, “These are some recommendations on how we set a foundation to do this the right way. Let’s start the conversation in a year when you’ve put these things in place.”

Is it challenging to have activism be part of your daily work?
It’s a blessing and a curse, right? I’m very blessed and humbled to do work that’s important to me, and I actually couldn’t imagine doing anything else. But especially now, with this work-from-home environment, all the layers are so interconnected that I have to work really hard to find some space for self-care. And when you are doing work that is important and instrumental for the Black community at large, you got to get it right… Also, [we are] an organization that’s growing very quickly. I know from my many years in nonprofit leadership that growth can be the downfall of an organization if it’s not thoughtful and strategic, [if you’re not] growing in the right ways at the right time. As the executive director, all those things come to work with me every day, and I feel a great weight to ensure we are doing the right things.

What’s it like steering a young, growing organization?
It’s been a range of emotions, but I was drawn to this role because I’ve been on a team that started a nonprofit [before]. So I came into this with a boots-on-the-ground understanding [about] who would be great for our team. We really are building a team of Avengers to do this work, and we need people who approach it from that passion perspective.

Which Avenger are you?
I always say I’m the Hulk. I’m very strategic and focused and all the things he is when he’s in his human form. [But] the intensity I bring to my work, the passion I bring to my work—sometimes I have to taper it down a little. [Laughing.] I’ve really been intentional about wanting to be a good manager, so I’ve had to keep my Hulk a little bit at bay as I find out all the love languages of my many partners and colleagues and teams. But the Hulk’s always there.

What’s the endgame for 15 Percent Pledge?
I always refer to the work we’re doing as a model, because I think it is replicable. We’re doing it in the retail space, but there are a lot of other industries that can adapt this more equitable way of doing business. [We’re doing] what we are doing so we can see the change we want to see in 5 years, 10 years. The long-term goal is that by the time my 9-year-old son gets to 21, he’s like, “Why did we even have to do this? What is this thing about ‘creating opportunity for Black businesses?’” Becoming a staple of our landscape is the goal. Fingers crossed!