We built this car to highlight the double standards Black people experience during the most common interaction with police: traffic stops. From microaggressions to murder, routine traffic stops are anything but routine when you're Black. So, while this car isn't real, it is our reality. Our hope was that by bringing this issue to light, we could spark conversation and change in the communities we all live in.

We created the first car where the safety feature was the car itself—demonstrating the prevalence of racism in America today by visualizing the double standards Black drivers face and immersing individuals in their experiences.

We meticulously designed each feature of the DWB vehicle by looking to the tragic stories of Black Americans’ encounters with police. Features that could protect Black drivers. But which —sardonically—render the car undrivable.

We set out to design and market a car that, at first glance, would look like another car in the market. But its true purpose, of course, was to serve as a catalyst for elevated dialogue that could lead to healing. To start conversations that create safe spaces for learning, solidarity, and transformation.

Since 2017, more than 600 Black Americans have died during routine traffic stops. The Driving While Black vehicle was created to highlight the double standards Black people experience during the most common interaction with police: traffic stops.

Released in time for the Detroit Auto Show, DWB gave people a clear understanding of the social injustice Black people face every time they get behind the wheel—from the absence of a glove box, to a 10 and 2 modified steering wheel, to an overhead seatbelt so drivers’ hands are always visible.

We directed and targeted outreach to auto industry trade publications, show attendees on the ground in Detroit, and the biggest manufacturers in the industry. This strategy allowed us to successfully take attention from the show and redirect it to the social issue at hand.

To launch DWB, we did what any other auto brand would do: announce the car’s release around the Detroit Auto Show. We sent our film to press and trade publications. And, taking notes from the auto industry playbook, positioned the DWB vehicle with lines like: “Sometimes a car comes along that changes everything. With innovations never thought possible.” The difference, of course, being that we meant it.

The film spread across the internet and drove people to our site, which shed light on the tragic stories and names behind each feature—ultimately encouraging people to act by getting involved with Courageous Conversation Global Foundation, the organization behind the campaign.

Around Detroit, we created billboards and OOH, continuing to create intrigue.

To put people in the driver’s seat, we stenciled QR codes in parking lots, driving people to activate our AR experience, and allowing them to virtually tour DWB themselves.

DWB aspires to be a catalyst for change, leaving an indelible impact on audiences worldwide. Its reach extends far beyond the confines of the screen, resonating with diverse communities and sparking crucial conversations about racial injustice. The film’s compelling narrative engages viewers on a visceral level, inviting them to confront the stark reality of double standards for Black drivers in America. Thousands of people engaged with DWB between the Detroit Auto Show, our website, and on socials. Online engagement increased by 70%.

This project has brought awareness to this issue and has given individuals a new way to share their own experiences. Its ultimate success lies in its ability to effect behavioral change, inspiring tangible actions toward dismantling systemic racism. Whether it's advocating for policy reforms or challenging discriminatory practices, DWB empowers its audience to become agents of change in the ongoing fight for racial equity and justice.