Stand Up To Cancer responds after its YouTuber campaign featuring Zoella is blasted for lack of diversity
Stand Up To Cancer has issued a response after coming under fire for its influencer-fronted 'Stand Up To Cancer With YouTube' campaign.
YouTube has been criticised over the campaign's lack of diversity
The fundraising entertainment initiative, which is designed to increase awareness of the disease, came under fire yesterday after it unveiled its partnership with YouTube for a '1000-hour fundraising mission' via a series of portraits of YouTube creators – all of them white.
The launch campaign was being fronted by YouTube royalty like Zoella, Caspar Lee and Alfie and will see the well-known faces make videos in their signature styles encouraging fans to donate, ending in a four-hour long live-streamed YouTube event on Sunday 15 October.
The lack of diversity among those chosen to front the push, however, did you not unnoticed, with several YouTubers and fans taking to Twitter to express their dismay at the situation and call out both companies involved.
Ermmmm @YouTube @SU2C your campaign features ZERO ethnic minorities. Please explain?! There are so many people you could use
— Gracie Francesca (@GraceFVictory) August 26, 2016
The @YouTube landscape is a beautiful ethnic RAINBOW and @SU2C choose THIS lineup? Cancer only affects white people? pic.twitter.com/dAgjwhDmlI — Shan Shan (@ShanMay_) August 26, 2016
so does cancer only affect white people, or?? @StandUp2C @SU2C #StandUpwithYT pic.twitter.com/o7eJBLIvfj — em (@itsEmmaliane) August 27, 2016
Great video from @ScolaDondo on ethnicity and diversity on YouTube in response to #StandUpwithYT https://t.co/nlA4dL2KFK — Hannah Witton (@hannahwitton) August 27, 2016
Stand Up To Cancer responded to lifestyle vlogger Grace Victory on Twitter, saying it hoped to work with her, and others, to represent creators from all backgrounds.
@GraceFVictory 1/2 Hi Gracie, we truly want this campaign to bring everyone together from all backgrounds & we’re sorry this hasn’t been… — StandUpToCancerUK (@StandUp2C) August 27, 2016
@GraceFVictory 2/2…represented yet. We really hope we could work with you, and others who we’ve been speaking to already to do this.
— StandUpToCancerUK (@StandUp2C) August 27, 2016
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Stand Up to Cancer told BuzzFeed News: “Stand Up to Cancer with YouTube is a campaign that unites the YouTube community to beat cancer and transform lives.
“We have been, and we still are, approaching creators from across the community to get involved. Linda’s photos launched the campaign and featured some of the most well-known faces from YouTube, but there’s lots more activity to come.”
They added: “We’re delighted that creators from diverse backgrounds have agreed to get involved with 1,000 hours of fundraising from now until October. Their support is going to be invaluable in encouraging everyone to stand up together against cancer.”