From news to trends, Chioma Nnadi has her finger on the pulse of all things fashion as fashion news director of Vogue.com. Previously, the London native, who is of Nigerian and Swiss-German descent, was at Fader, Trace, and London’s Evening Standard. In recent years, she has become a powerful voice and advocate for inclusivity and diversity in our industry. To mark Black History Month, we asked Nnadi about what it means to be black in our industry and how she envisions positive change in fashion.

What are some of the suggestions you have for the industry to create positive change?

If the events surrounding Couture Fashion Week and the Ulyana Sergeenko incident have taught us anything, it’s that racism is a systemic problem in the industry. There needs to be an open and honest discussion around racial inequality.

I believe black creatives are underrepresented in fashion at every level. Too often I look around the room during fashion week, and I’m one of a handful of black and brown faces.

We need to create new pathways to success for the next generation of black talent—designers, stylists, photographers, models, editors, executives, and buyers. And that’s something that should be on the agenda all year round, not just during Black History Month.

How do you plan on using your platform to bring attention and generate change?

It’s a conversation that has been ongoing in the black community, and I think it’s really up to editors and insiders like me to use our platforms to start a dialogue with a wider audience and promote positive change.