Wilton Brands, a company with an estimated 700 million in annual revenue and more than 2.4 million followers on social media, has remained silent in the midst of the Black Lives Matter movement that was reignited with the tragic murder of George Floyd. When the baking community began to notice Wilton’s deafening silence and brought it to their attention, the only statement Wilton released was one that recognized their lack of diversity while being devoid of any recognition or statement of support for the current Black Lives Matter movement.

Baking has become a passion for many. People around the world are getting into their kitchens and using Wilton Brand products. Whether they are making a pie, decorating a cake, baking cupcakes with their children, or even baking to combat mental health diagnoses such as anxiety and depression, baking has brought joy to many. For others, baking is their profession, the way they earn a living and provide for themselves and their family. Wilton has been the company of choice for the aforementioned audience when purchasing supplies for an array of baking needs. Although the demographic insights of Wilton’s followers are not public knowledge, it is undeniable that they have thousands of Black and people of color followers who have shown them continued support throughout the years and have added to their substantial annual revenue. Despite the diversity of their followers, Wilton, time and time again, fails to feature Black bakers.  

To see a company such as Wilton, whose products are purchased on a global scale, fail to recognize that diversity is not only disheartening, but oppressing. Their silence is a contributing force to the oppression of black talent. Black bakers and other people of color need to be acknowledged. It took Wilton almost a week of protests, global solidarity, and bakers bringing attention to Wilton’s silence for them to make a public statement. Their statement is vague, disingenuous, mentions no support of the Black Lives Matter movement, and contains very little information on how they plan to change. 

As a result of Wilton’s silence, absence of diversity featured on their page, and lack of solidarity during this time, the baking community has started this petition asking that Wilton Brand, Wilton Cakes, and any brand owned by Wilton be boycotted until they are able to meet the demands listed below:

1.     Publicly recognize the importance of the Black Lives Matter movement as well as your support for the cause.   

2.     Feature Black bakers and people of color on the Wilton social media platforms.  

3.     Release a statement outlining exactly what Wilton plans to do to be more inclusive and supportive of their Black community. 

4.     Reevaluate and restructure the Wilton Executive Team:

a.               Wilton Brand’s lack of inclusivity is not only apparent on their social media accounts, but also within their company. The current executive teams consist merely of white individuals. Not one person in power at Wilton is Black and that in and of itself speaks volumes to your community about your lack of inclusivity and the way in which you run your company.

5.     Release your current demographics within your company to be transparent about diversity from within.

6.     Donate a portion of your proceeds to an established charity that supports the Black Lives Matter movement, such as the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund or the Advancement Project.

If these requests are not met, the following is how the baking community will respond:  

1.     Discontinue purchasing your products.

2.     No longer follow or engage with Wilton on any social media platforms.

3.     Will not allow Wilton to feature bakers’ work on their page.