This Independence Day, Courageous Conversation Global Foundation (CCGF) is shining a light on the discrepancies in the history of freedom for Black people with its new campaign, “400 Years at Half-Staff.” 

The campaign leans into this past year of racial reckoning in America, acknowledging that while many have only now realized the systemic bias that this country was built upon and continuously perpetuates, the reality is that Black America is all too aware of the biases suffered in this country for over 400 years. 

Created by Goodby Silverstein & Partners, “400 Years at Half-Staff” lowers the culturally iconic African American flag to half-staff to illustrate the point that Black Americans have been suffering since slavery. And even though enslaved people finally discovered they had been freed on June 19, 1866, Black America still suffers. The project has been documented in this film in which a quotation from Frederick Douglass in 1852 appears: "This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice. I must mourn.”

Additionally, Goodby Silverstein has created an AR Instagram lens that enables users to place a virtual African American Flag” at half-staff within a selected environment and share their emotions/thoughts as Independence Day approaches.

“When you see a flag at half-staff, you wonder what’s happened—a mass shooting, a prominent statesman or stateswoman passing away, etc. This specific flag at half-staff is representative of the constant suffering Black America has endured for far too long,” said Anthony O’Neill, creative director,  Goodby Silverstein & Partners.

This campaign is intended to spark a conversation on a day during which we all reflect on what it means to be American and the meaning of “liberty and justice for all.” But beyond that, we hope to spark change. The film asks people to “Start a conversation at CCGlobalfoundation.org” where they can learn how to contact their local senators and urge them to pass the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Bill.

“We recognize that at times revisiting the past can be painful, but we also think it’s extremely important to revisit these moments to better understand the present,” said Rony Castor, creative director, Goodby Silverstein & Partners. 

Credits

Client Courageous Conversation Global Foundation Agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners Jeff Goodby, Rich Silverstein, co-chairmen; Margaret Johnson, chief creative officer; Anthony O’Neill, Rony Castor, creative directors; Shantice Edwards, art director; Alex Petosa, copywriter; Meredith Vellines, director of communications; Bonnie Wan, partner, head of brand strategy; Christine Chen, partner, head of communication strategy; Darien Ahn, brand strategist; Matt McNamara, communications strategist; Margaret Brett-Kearns, Leila Gage, co-directors of production; JP Patterson, director of film content & partnerships; Andrew Devansky, line producer; Mark Sandhoff, DP; Emilio Diaz, photographer; Andrew Butte, camera operator. GS&P Labs Nathan Shipley, director of creative technology; Tena Goy, executive producer; Shan Jin, August Bjornberg, creative technologists; Joshua Blair, design technologist; Ryan Self, design director. Editorial & Audio Elevel Michael Damiani, director of postproduction; David Sullivan, sr. editor; Allison Lambert, post producer; Nic Dematteo, audio engineer. Color Company 3 Joseph Bicknell, colorist.

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