The pain Black communities experience as a result of police violence is unacceptable. Systemic racial injustice is real and must be acknowledged and confronted in order to create real justice. The protests going on today are an important step in an ongoing struggle against a global legacy of systemic racism.
The consequences of this legacy can be felt throughout society, including gaming. In the selection of what gets published, who gets hired, and what streams receive the greatest attention, we are impacted by bias. We at Roll20 must do more to elevate Black creators; in our marketplace and throughout our platform. We urge our community members to get involved by listening to Black voices – not just today in this moment of heightened awareness, but as part of an ongoing commitment to progress.
Lift Black voices. We will create space for Black people in the tabletop community who want access to our audience and platform. We commit to paying for this work through guest blogs and prioritizing the promotion of them and their authors. Writers can apply here.
Support Black content creators. We will continue to ensure our video content features Black streamers and GMs. We will boost the work of the Black tabletop community, and continue to offer resources through our Spotlight program to content creators.
Add artwork and games by Black creators to the Roll20 Marketplace. Adapting games for the Roll20 Marketplace requires resources. We are dedicated to creating licensing deals with Black creators and will take on the cost of putting their work on the Marketplace. Our goal in doing so is to direct revenue to Black creators to continue their work in tabletop gaming without the burden of creating Roll20 conversions at personal expense. We will also be performing outreach and actively supporting Black creators who want to add their work to the Roll20 Marketplace themselves.
Create change internally. The Roll20 Advisory Board, created in 2019, is a body of experts that convene to provide guidance and counsel to the owners and leaders of Roll20. We are making a commitment to emphasize Social Justice by adding a social justice expert to our Advisory Board.
Match $50,000 in community fundraising. We have launched a Tiltify campaign to benefit Code2040, “a nonprofit activating, connecting and mobilizing the largest racial equity community in tech to dismantle the structural barriers that prevent the full participation and leadership of Black and Latinx technologists in the innovation economy.”
Hold ourselves accountable. We will make sure this initiative endures past this moment. We commit to having quarterly check-ins to see where we have made progress and continue to identify areas for improvement.