The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement was formally begun in 2013 after George Zimmerman was acquitted for the shooting death of Trayvon Martin in February 2012. Since then, the BLM movement has drawn attention to systemic racism in the United States. As a result of the movement, there has been an emphasis on supporting Black-owned businesses, both patronizing them and making sure they have the financing available that is also available to white-owned businesses.
A Way to Combat Racism
Many of us want to do something, but we aren’t sure exactly what to do. Attending a protest may not be comfortable during a pandemic, particularly for people with conditions that make them high risk for COVID-19 or who have family members living with them who are high risk individuals. Those opposed to violence in any form may be looking for a different way to support the movement.
A way to help is to patronize, whenever possible, Black-owned businesses. Supporting Black-owned businesses helps level the playing field between business owners coming from different cultures that may have had more advantages to getting set up in business. It also helps keep businesses afloat during the pandemic when many companies that cannot do business online, such as restaurants, are seeing a decrease in profits.
Online Directories of Black-owned Businesses: Retailers, Services Providers, and Financing
WeBuyBlack is a global online marketplace for Black-owned businesses. You can buy luxury items as well as everyday necessities on this site. There is even a “goodie bag” you can purchase stocked full of items they sell on the site. It’s a nice way of trying out something you wouldn’t have thought of purchasing before plus it has the surprise element we love so much with birthday presents!
Post 21 is an online marketplace for modern and design-forward products from Black-owned businesses. The site was founded by a mother and daughter team who wanted to create this site for years and finally launched it. Their name, Post 21 comes from the concept that they are continuing Black entrepreneurship after the Tulsa, OK, riot on March 31, 1921, when a white mob set 35 blocks of Black-owned businesses and homes on fire, killing 300 people. The area was known as Black Wall Street. The name Post 21 signifies that Black entrepreneurship continued after 1921.
The Chez Nous Guide is a way of supporting many types of minority-owned businesses including those owned by people of color, women, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community. The online directory lists many types of businesses There are also online guides for major US cities and for London.
Black-owned Brooklyn is an online publication documenting Black-owned and Brooklyn-based businesses as well as cultural events and Black history and culture in Brooklyn. It is run by a husband and wife team and was launched in 2018.
I Am Black Business is an online tool created by minority professionals who felt called to find a way to help Black-owned businesses. They created this directory to make it easier to find these businesses and support them, thus helping them grow.
Oprah Winfrey has always been a strong proponent of reading. Her online magazine site now has a directory of Black-owned bookstores.
There’s an App for That
Official Black Wall Street is an online directory of Black-owned businesses with an app to help search out what you want on your phone. It will even send you an alert when you are in the vicinity of a Black-owned business. And there are special offers and daily deals from listed businesses for app users.
EatOkra is an app listing Black-owned restaurants. It was founded in 2016 as a user-friendly method to bring attention to Black food and drink establishments. The founders like it that their app helps support Black-owned business but their main mission is to create an app with a theme of Black food.
Black Nation is an app listing Black-owned businesses. It is currently only available for iPhone and iPad. It allows you to find Black-owned businesses near you.
Where U Came From is an online directory of Black-owned businesses with an app. It was created by WhereU, LLC, a tech startup in Atlanta, Georgia, and launched during Black History Month on February 15, 2016. It publishes crowd-sourced listings and referrals for Black-owned businesses.
Support Black Owned is an online directory with an app that allows you to find Black-owned businesses. It is a one-stop source to allow the user to find Black-owned businesses. The mission of the developers is to build community. It offers tools for Black-owned businesses to communicate with potential customers, display their products, and attract investors.
Do Good, Enjoy Yourself, and Let TGUC Financial Help With the Financing
Supporting Black-owned businesses is not only a good way to support the BLM movement but also to support your own community. Keeping all areas of your community economically healthy is good for everyone living and working there. It also improves the richness that diversity brings to our communities and to our lives. Are you the owner of a Black-owned business? TGUC Financial provides financing opportunities for your clients’ needs.
TGUC Financial is a Black-owned business that can help support your Black- and minority-owned business. Contact us today for your, or your clients’, financing needs.
Recent Comments