100 Roses From Concrete Is By and For Agency Men of Color

Keni Thacker hasn’t forgotten his first time at Cannes. It was the summer of 2016, and like any other industry veteran, he was thrilled to attend the world’s largest gathering of advertising and creative professionals. But actually being at Cannes was a different story. “At Cannes, I found myself alone a lot of the time because I was the only person of color at an event or at a party,” Thacker said. “And I remember thinking, ‘Jesus Christ, this is insane, the tiny amount of people of color at this festival.’” [kickout id="1"] At the airport on the trip home, Thacker ran into another black ad pro who had attended the festival 10 times and broke it down for him: That’s just the way Cannes is. It was another depressing reminder of how lonely the industry can feel when you look around and see the glaring absence of diversity. That trip is what set Thacker, then an event tech specialist at J. Walter Thompson New York (he left the agency October 2019), on a new path. That September, he founded The Young Commodores, an immersive JWT internship for multicultural high school and college students. And in September 2019, Thacker founded 100 Roses From Concrete, a network for men of color in advertising, marketing and PR. [article_summary section="1"]The group has grown quickly since its creation last fall, with frequent meetings that draw some of its 54 members together to brainstorm, unpack and relate. Member profiles on the group’s website offer visibility and glimpses into some of the obstacles that men of color often have to overcome to build successful careers. One member, Elijah Lugo, describes living in family homeless shelters years before he found a job at Showtime. Saul Vasquez was a first-generation immigrant with 10 siblings. Tim Austin was born to a single mom in inner-city Baltimore. Several members recall being the first in their families to attend college. All stand as examples of men of color who defied the odds stacked against them. Thacker spoke with Adweek about 100 Roses From Concrete. What’s the story behind the name 100 Roses From Concrete? Thacker: It’s a piece of a poem by Tupac Shakur called The Rose That Grew From Concrete. The thing about being a person of color in this industry is you really are a rose trying to rise from concrete. We have the least amount of access and the fewest amount of the things that help a rose grow: sunlight, soil, fertilizer. Unfortunately, we are behind the 8-ball when it comes to those things because advertising, marketing and PR is just not a career that we’re exposed to. When it comes to organizations that tout diversity, the word ‘color’ is always in there—and much respect to them. But I wanted to have this narrative behind why men are in the organization, how they’ve overcome incredible things, and are still doing great work. [kickout id="2"] How does 100 Roses operate, and what has the group been up to? We have meetings either twice a month or once a month. Last month, we were incredibly busy because we taught two classes at the Manhattan Early College of Advertising. And the day after that, we gave away free headshots to people in the industry that needed them. And the week before that we started our own library at the New York College of Technology. Last December, I said, ‘Hey guys, I want us to create a library, to do a book drive.’ By the end of the month, we had over 130 books. [Members chose books "that either helped professionally or personally" in their own careers.] Why a group just for men? [article_summary section="2"]I wanted a group that represents just men because there are already some groups that represent women and women of color specifically. This organization—and I can only speak for myself, but this is also in the many stories you find on our site—we find ourselves constantly alone in the industry. We’re misunderstood and sometimes undervalued. There’s nowhere that these guys can come together and voice whatever they’re going through. Being able to influence the education sector, creating this library, these are the kinds of things we weren’t able to do just standing alone. But being part of an organization, now you’re part of a team of guys that can stand in front of a room full of students and inspire and encourage them to want to be in this industry— and to know that they’re not alone. Because we are here. [kickout id="3"] So 100 Roses is more than just a network or an online group. It does social good projects too, almost like a fraternity? I wanted it to be a place for men of color in advertising, marketing and PR where they can connect, collaborate and grow. That’s a very important thing. As you know, men of color in these industries are like unicorns—we do exist, but we’re like one of five or one out of 10. In the places where we work, we’re all the odd men out. Regardless of whether you’re in strategy, production, or you’re a diversity advocate, an account person or a creative, we all come to this place to use our skills to do something positive in the industry—but also to represent men of color in the industry, to hold that space. Representation is everything. For young people to not see men of color represented, they don’t feel like they can relate to the figures that are leading this industry. Why do you think people of color are not well-represented in advertising? We’re just not exposed to the field at all. This is a decades-old problem, a 50-year-old problem. Most marketing decisions that were made in the early 20th century were not made by people of color. Even products that were marketed towards people of color, we weren’t writing any of those ads. Around 50 years ago, the late Bill Sharp brought attention to it, and that’s when he created the Basic Ad Course in 1967. [Editor's note: Sharp’s course was a partnership with the 4A’s to bring more talent of color into advertising.] And now there’s a lot of people talking about [diversity], but no one was talking about it when the industry was literally given a government mandate to do better. If you go to the websites of the top 20 best agencies, no matter the discipline or focus, and look at their leadership page, all you see are white people—and mostly white men. We’ve seen an increase in female leadership, but if you really look at that leadership, those women are white too. What if I’m this junior in college and I’m looking at a career in advertising, marketing and PR, and I’m looking at the leadership thinking there’s not one person that can relate to my journey as a straight black male, or a gay black female or a gay Asian brother…and you think, ‘None of these people can remotely relate to my struggle or to anything that I’ve been through.’ You see that, and you ask, where do I fit in here? [kickout id="4"] What’s holding people of color back from C-suite positions? Whatever the standard of operation is to prepare people for those levels of jobs, the model has stayed the same. That’s why you see mostly white men in those roles because they have been able to create a system and control that system for them to win—period. I know there’s a lot of chief diversity officers popping up around the industry right now, but even with that said, the first woman of color CEO or CCO at the holding companies and the top agencies is still years away. And when there is one, she’ll be the first, and the second will be however long more. I’m personally tired of seeing the first this and the first that—there needs to be a wave of change. And there are exceptions, but I want to be able to name 10 legends like Carol H. Williams and Monique Nelson, not just one or two. [article_summary section="3"]Pretend you’re speaking directly, and frankly, to the leaders of the agencies and the holding companies. What do you say? Just make room, that’s all. There’s enough space for all of us to lead. It’s not about 'Keni's anti-white' or wants to kick anybody out, that’s not the point. But by constantly keeping us out, it sends a message. When all you see is white faces, it sends a message. The first step is: Stop talking. Stop talking and start doing. It’s that simple. I’ve read a million and one articles in Adweek and everywhere else, and there’s so much talking about how important this is. But what I don’t see are follow-up articles six months later asking CEO so-and-so, ‘So I read your op-ed about the importance of diversity, and where are you now?’ The CEOs talk the talk on panels, and they’re tap-dancing like they’re Gregory Hines, but where’s that follow-up? Did things get better? Half the time, none of it’s gotten better. It makes for a couple great tweets, like, ‘Yeah, so-and-so is so woke.’ You need boots on the ground to make the change happen. Step off the soapbox and get on the ground. Get your hands dirty. Be the change you want to see. [kickout id="5"] What about 3%'s certification model for having agencies reveal diversity in terms of gender, are any groups doing that for men of color? 3% is making the most noise, and they are the only ones doing that certification. But to play devil’s advocate, not everyone is attending 3%. It’s such a steep climb. Even with all these groups like Adcolor and 3%, it’s a game of inches, not yards.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

The Story Behind 100 Roses From Concrete, a Network for Men of Color in Advertising

Founder Keni Thacker on the group that goes way beyond networking

Mary Emily O'Hara

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Mary Emily O'Hara