Unravel the tensions between Canva and creative freedom as a designer’s experience with censorship sparks a conversation.
Well, what do we have here?
Canva and slavery are two words you never thought would collide, but here we are in the Twilight Zone, people. Canva, the once-scrappy, lovable sidekick to Adobe Photoshop, has somehow become the Big Bad Wolf of Creative Censorship – allegedly!
It started off innocent enough: a Black woman, just minding her business, trying to design a cover for her book. She is using Canva, like millions of us do every single day. But when she tried to print the book cover, she got stopped dead in her tracks. The crime? She used the word slavery. Yep, the actual historical term that defines a massive part of world and American history.
Canva reportedly flagged the word and flat-out told her to pick another one. Another one?! Like enslavement light or involuntary free trial of life? Come on now.
The woman didn’t let it slide. She reached out to Canva support, and in their own words, they confirmed that slavery is on a banned list. Straight up. NO. The actual words they apparently suggested where “imprisonment” and “captivity.” Are you serious, Canva?
Now, we expect this kind of madness from politicians who want to erase uncomfortable truths from libraries. Donald Trump’s camp has already tried to normalize book bans and whitewashing history. But a $40 billion tech company built on the backs of creators? Y’all are supposed to know better. We’re not having it!
This is the worst type of gaslighting.
People are ready to boycott if Canva doesn’t fix this fast. Without Black creators, teachers, students, and everyday users grinding and designing on Canva, that billion buck valuation would shrink faster than Donald Trump in an older woman.
Vanessa, the woman who raised the issue, might need to call Rev. Al Sharpton like Wendy Williams! This looks like it’s about to get real civil rights, real quick.
Canva, we love you. We don’t want to cancel you. But we will if we have to. Protect history. Protect creative freedom. And, most importantly, do better.
PS: We have not tested this out. That’s phase 2.
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