TORONTO -- A prominent Black lawyer and diversity consultant from Toronto is speaking out after the Hudson's Bay Company used her image without her permission for the Charter for Change campaign, which supports the 鈥渆ducation, employment and empowerment鈥� of racial minorities.
On Monday, Hadiya Roderique got a call from a friend.
鈥淪he said, 鈥業 didn鈥檛 know you鈥檇 being doing work for The Bay,鈥欌�� Roderique told 麻豆影视. 鈥淎nd I said, 鈥業 didn鈥檛 know I was doing work for The Bay either.' So that鈥檚 how I found out.鈥�
Roderique of of a display at Hudson鈥檚 Bay for 鈥淗udson鈥檚 Bay Charter for Change,鈥� along with directions to scan the image for information on how to donate to empower 鈥淚ndigenous peoples, Black People and People of Colour across the Country.鈥�
The sign also had a photo of Roderique displayed prominently beside the text.
鈥淚 was pissed,鈥� Roderique said.
Her image had been used in a national advertising campaign, without her permission, and without her even knowing about it. The photographer who took the photo was also not consulted or aware, Roderique revealed in a follow-up tweet.
鈥淚t clearly suggests that within the Hudson鈥檚 Bay communications department, there are some people who are missing the message here,鈥� Clive Veroni, a marketing strategist, told 麻豆影视.
The retailer wanted to amplify the voices of racialized Canadians, but ended up using a photo mock-up in the final ad instead of images of people they鈥檝e profiled.
鈥淭o make a rookie error like this, to take an image from a mock-up and use it in public is absolutely unforgiveable,鈥� Veroni said.
In a statement to 麻豆影视, The Bay admited Roderique鈥檚 image was used "by mistake,鈥� adding "we deeply regret the error.鈥�
Roderique is a lawyer and diversity consultant, so she is careful about who and what she publicly supports.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want to be associated with a campaign that I didn鈥檛 know anything about,鈥� she said.
At more than 350 years old, Hudson鈥檚 Bay is Canada鈥檚 oldest company and its beginnings are tied to the exploitation of Indigenous communities.
On the company鈥檚 website, it says it is 鈥渨orking to reconcile its past and is committed to change for a more equitable future for all.鈥�
The Charter for Change is an initiative seeking to 鈥渁ccelerate racial equality鈥� by investing in Black and Indigenous communities, as well as other racial minorities,
鈥淢istakes are certainly not unusual as corporations, individuals endeavour on a journey to equity, diversity inclusion,鈥� said Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Toronto.
The retailer has pulled Roderique's images from its campaign and apologized to her as well. The two will talk again to discuss any next steps that need to be taken.
