What is Editors of Color about?
Editors of Color is a resource to connect employers and recruiters with editors, proofreaders, and sensitivity readers of color. We do this primarily through our database of candidates, but we are also pleased to share job listings, news items on social media, and additional diversity resources that are of interest to our community.
Isn’t hiring someone because they’re a person of color itself a form of bias?
No one would suggest hiring an unqualified person simply because they were a person of color. But the biases in our industries ensure that change is not going to happen without a conscious effort to broaden searches, expand the pool of talent, and invite a diversity of viewpoints. Editors of Color exists to link recruiters with professionals of color who can provide both their perspectives and their expertise.
Who can use the Editors of Color Database?
Anyone who needs a professional to edit, proof, or review their communications is encouraged to search our database. We welcome publishers, media outlets, advertising agencies, and corporations seeking professional assistance with their external or internal communications. We also welcome first-time authors, novelists, bloggers, scholars, journalists, researchers, and any other individual whose work could benefit from a fresh and conscientious eye.
Why does Editors of Color focus on the U.S. and Canada?
We’re a small site, and it’s a big world. Though we may expand to other countries eventually, Editors of Color has taken note of the need for more varied perspectives and a higher level of inclusion in these two White-majority, North American countries. Recognizing their particular histories of disenfranchising communities of color, our goal is to counter the entrenched biases in their communications industries and promote their marginalized talent.
Is there any cost to join the database?
No, there is no cost for candidates to list themselves in the Editors of Color Database. We want you to succeed.
Is there any cost to search the database?
No, we support your desire for a diverse pool of applicants, and we are happy to provide this service free of charge.
How do you verify that the database participants are people of color?
We don’t. Identity is a profound and personal thing, and we don’t consider it our place to interrogate or investigate the cultural credentials of anyone who identifies as a person of color. As with any hiring decision, the responsibility is on potential recruiters to reach out to candidates directly and determine whether they are a good fit for an organization or project.
Why do you link to other databases?
Our industry does not exist in a vacuum, nor is achieving an equitable world best accomplished through a siloed mindset. Through our Database of Diverse Databases, we choose to celebrate the efforts of people with similar goals and provide a door through which a broader selection of candidates and recruiters might find one another.