Bob's Red Mill | The Bubble of Whiteness

Angela's story.

How it began

On July 9, 2020, I shared YouTube video below. It was after I received an email from their team that seemed to express that they weren't interested in engaging in the antiracism movement.

After sharing, I learned that I was not the only one with questionable experiences with the brand.

The video caption

Everybody's talking about BLM these days. And a ton of brands threw up the performative "squares" or "we're listening" messages on their social media.

What I want to know is what's really going on behind the scenes? Your squares are not enough.

The information in the video above is my first-hand experience with Bob's Red Mill. After sharing the video, several creators came forward about their experience with Bob's as well.

Bob's Red Mill is an employee-owned, stone milling manufacturer in Oregon that produces whole grain and gluten-free flours used for baking and cooking, polenta, oatmeals, granola, and baking mixes. Bob Moore (along with his wife Charlee) is its founder and long-time face of the brand. Bob's Red Mill's CEO is Dennis Vaughn.

What happened next?

The video released at 3 am EST. By 3 pm, I'd received an email from Matt, one of the SVPs. He shared that he believed there was a misunderstanding. After a brief call, he not-so-subtly asked if I would take the video down. I offered instead that we create a part two. In that video, BRM discusses the policy changes their team.

Part two was conducted live on both of our Instagram pages. In it, Matt details the policy changes, and I highlight other unintentionally racist actions that are the result of them living in their "white bubble."