Cotton On to the fact that black lives matter

An open letter to white moms has ended in tears and a defamation suit against three mommy bloggers and clothing retailer Cotton On dropping one of its popular brand ambassadors.

Northriding, Johannesburg mom Shan Fourie, who has 15,000 followers, says her post – to teach her son about racism after he commented that he had never seen three black people in a car – was caught in the crossfire of an ongoing online discussion over Cotton On’s alleged exclusion of influencers of colour.

On Youth Day, mom bloggers called out Fourie – who has since been dropped as a Cotton On brand ambassador – for punting the brand on a day dedicated to commemorate the 1976 Soweto uprising...