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 âeducation, employment and empowermentâ of racial minorities.
On Monday, Hadiya Roderique got a call from a friend.
âShe said, âI didnât know youâd being doing work for The Bay,ââ Roderique told ŰÎŰ´ŤĂ˝. âAnd I said, âI didnât know I was doing work for The Bay either.' So thatâs how I found out.â
Roderique of of a display at Hudsonâs Bay for âHudsonâs Bay Charter for Change,â along with directions to scan the image for information on how to donate to empower âIndigenous peoples, Black People and People of Colour across the Country.â
The sign also had a photo of Roderique displayed prominently beside the text.
âI was pissed,â 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.
âIt clearly suggests that within the Hudsonâs Bay communications department, there are some people who are missing the message here,â Clive Veroni, a marketing strategist, told ŰÎŰ´ŤĂ˝.
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 theyâve profiled.
âTo make a rookie error like this, to take an image from a mock-up and use it in public is absolutely unforgiveable,â Veroni said.
In a statement to ŰÎŰ´ŤĂ˝, The Bay admited Roderiqueâs image was used "by mistake,â adding "we deeply regret the error.â
Roderique is a lawyer and diversity consultant, so she is careful about who and what she publicly supports.
âI didnât want to be associated with a campaign that I didnât know anything about,â she said.
At more than 350 years old, Hudsonâs Bay is Canadaâs oldest company and its beginnings are tied to the exploitation of Indigenous communities.
On the companyâs website, it says it is âworking to reconcile its past and is committed to change for a more equitable future for all.â
The Charter for Change is an initiative seeking to âaccelerate racial equalityâ by investing in Black and Indigenous communities, as well as other racial minorities,
âMistakes are certainly not unusual as corporations, individuals endeavour on a journey to equity, diversity inclusion,â 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.