Josiah Wedgwood was a tycoon. He had stock in one of the biggest markets in Britain. He developed one of the most successful fashion trends ever. In fact, his label was all over clothes and jewelry. By the way, he lived 200 years ago.
Josiah Wedgwood started out as a simple potter, earning his living as a thrower (someone who makes pottery with a potting wheel). But before he could really master his craft, he got a terrible case of smallpox, which led to the amputation of one of his legs. Throwing was a physically demanding job in which you had to pump the pedal that turned the disk the clay sat on. After losing one of his legs, Wedgwood could no longer throw pottery. But Josiah Wedgwood wasn’t one to give up.
Instead, he focused on designing pottery and jewelry, and practiced a form of pottery that did not involve a potter’s wheel. He experimented with glazes and formulas until he developed a beautiful cream-colored pottery that was extremely popular, mainly because Queen Charlotte loved it. That was probably why the pottery was dubbed “Queen’s Ware.” I guess things weren’t much different from the way they are today—if someone really famous loves a product, then others will buy it. Eventually, Wedgwood became rich and influential.
Power of a Brand
Thomas Clarkson was one of Wedgwood’s friends and one of the main abolitionists of his time. Clarkson encouraged Wedgwood to use his influence by taking a stand on the controversial issue of the slave trade, and he did. Wedgwood came out with a popular jewelry piece called the slave medallion. It showed an African slave in shackles saying, “Am I not a man and a brother?”
This piece spread like wildfire. In no time, people were buying all sorts of jewelry and other items—snuff boxes, hat pins, brooches— all with the slave medallion on them. It was the label everyone was wearing—kind of like today’s “Live Strong” bracelet, except the slave medallion was bigger. Much bigger. It became so popular and had so many uses that Clarkson noted, “Ladies wore them in bracelets, and others fitted them up in an ornamental manner as pins for their hair. At length the taste for wearing them became general, and thus fashion, which usually confines itself to worthless things, was seen once in the honorable office of promoting the cause of justice, humanity and freedom.”
Wedgwood continued his support of the anti-slavery movement, even though this could have cost him his business and popularity. He was committed to the cause of abolition and spoke up anyway. Ironically, he ended up richer than before.
Josiah Wedgwood died before he could witness the abolition of the slave trade in his homeland. But he set the standard for using a brand to do good.
Artists and Their Brands
Who’s really influential today? What names come to mind when you think of influential or famous people? Most tend to think of movie stars, recording artists or athletes. If you’ve noticed, those are the people who are usually sought after for endorsements. That’s why you see the face of Lebron James on bubble gum, Carrie Underwood wearing Skechers and Johnny Depp’s image on candy and toys. It’s all about influence—and money. Endorsements are big business, and the bigger the name, the more money a star can get for selling products. But what is really extraordinary is when one of these pop-culture icons uses his name and influence to help others who can’t help themselves.
Take Jon Foreman, frontman for the band Switchfoot. He had it made—a double-platinum-selling album, his songs appearing in feature films, playing concerts to sold-out crowds around the world. But that wasn’t enough for him.
On a trip to India, Jon learned of the plight of the Dalit people. India’s society features a caste system, which is a set of rigid rules that divide people into groups based on social class. Within this system, the Dalits are viewed as the lowest of the low. They are not given access to the rights and benefits other people enjoy in their country. They are considered “untouchable” and are oppressed in terrible ways. While those born into India’s upper castes retain most of the society’s wealth, those in the lowest castes often find it impossible to better their situations, no matter what they do. Because of this, many Dalits are enslaved in their own country and spend their lives working against their will in rock quarries, brick kilns, match factories or making other products.
When I met Jon Foreman in Atlanta a little while ago, we talked about modern-day slavery and why he takes time to educate others about the Dalit people. He feels there has to be a way to use art and music to bring the story of the people he’s met to the mainstream. Like many artists, Jon thinks creatively and believes God has a purpose in fame. Jon founded an organization called Lowercase People to raise awareness not only about the Dalits but also about others who suffer injustice in the world. Jon’s using his influence to speak out for people who don’t have a voice, bringing their plight to the attention of millions of people around the world who might be able to help.
Another guy who’s using his influence for good is Steve Christian from the band Anberlin. Not only is Steve a cool guy, he also has a childlike care for the hurting. You know what I mean? Remember when you were really little and you saw someone else get hurt? You wanted to help them immediately—no excuses about why it didn’t make sense or why it wasn’t practical. It bothered you to see someone cry or be mistreated, and you were willing to share a toy or give something of your own to help someone who was sad or hurting.
Well, Steve still has this same instinct to care. He could shut himself up in his tour bus and hide from the world, but instead he has chosen to open his head and heart to the hurting in the world. Steve has taken a group of musicians to Haiti and will soon be making a similar trip to India. His goal with these trips is not only to expose other people to the realities facing the poor in such countries, but also to look for ways to help. Steve isn’t interested in taking another missions trip that makes him feel good about himself. He wants to change the world.
Why would Dan Haseltine from Jars of Clay found an organization called Blood:Water Mission to bring clean water to Africa? Why have artists like Sara Groves and Natalie Grant traveled to the far corners of the world to witness suffering firsthand? It’s because they believe in a big God who has big ideas to bring big relief to the oppressed. Like U2’s Bono, who once said he wanted to invest his fame in “things that matter,” these people know their influence counts for something. And while fame may be fleeting, it is worth a lot in the moment.
What About Your Brand?
Another way to look at influence is to consider what marketers call “branding.” You’re familiar with the brands you buy and can recognize them easily by their logos. When you see the “swoosh” you think Nike, just as when you see the little white apple you think Mac. Millions of dollars are spent to get you to remember these brands and their slogans. And, as we’ve mentioned, connecting celebrity to brands makes them even more powerful and memorable.
But have you ever considered your brand? Each one of us has his or her own brand—even if we’re still in school. Whether you’re geek, jock or emo (or, to be more politically correct, academic, athletic, artistic), everyone has a brand. Your brand is who people know you to be. It’s your reputation.
These brands aren’t always a good thing. It’s true they can lead to prejudice or a cliquish environment in which we hang out only with people who have the same brand as us. This is wrong.
Instead of using our brands to exclude others, why don’t we use them to help others? Whatever our brands give us access to, let’s utilize it. Just because we’re young doesn’t mean our voices don’t matter and our brands don’t carry power and influence. The Bible says, “Even a child is known by his actions” (Proverbs 20:11). This means we can’t be let off the hook just because we are young. We can’t just sit back and expect our elders to do all the work.
We Can Bring Change
I’m hopeful because I really believe our generation has the power and passion to change things. This past summer I met a group of really great guys in a new band called Leeland from a small town in Texas. They started out leading worship in their church, but they’ve come a long way since then. Lately they have been touring with Third Day and playing at some of the Christian music festivals I have been going to. These young guys are men of God and are way more mature than many people older than they. They are some of the most talented, godliest guys I know.
Last summer, I was speaking at a music festival, leading seminars on justice and abolition. The lead singer, Leeland Mooring, was listening. He and the other guys in the group (Jack, Jake, Mike and Jeremiah) had never heard about modern-day slavery. It blew them away that something as heinous as slavery is still going on today, especially when they found out many of the slaves are children and teens like us!
That day, I told the story of a teenager who worked as a slave in a rock quarry and ended up having her finger amputated. (She and her family were later rescued, along with many other slaves, through the efforts of an organization I support through my ministry, Loose Change to Loosen Chains.) I also talked about some of the many passages like Isaiah 1:17 that speak of how God calls us to seek justice and rescue the oppressed.
The guys from Leeland began exploring further what God says about justice in Scripture and got involved. They didn’t second-guess their convictions. They stepped up and began using their influence to help kids held in slavery, speaking from the stage to urge people to get involved.
I think that’s what our generation should be about. We can be what so many generations before us were too scared to be. Lots of people have tried to label our generation. Well, I’d like to see us known as the “Justice Generation” or JGEN. If we can harness and use for good the power of our individual brands, strengths and passions, just imagine what we could get done working together with God. Let’s get busy! 
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Read more from Zach’s book and get tips on helping to free slaves. Get Be the Change from Breakaway. |
