How to Keep On Supporting Black-Owned Businesses

As protests against police brutality on Black people increased in late May this year, Black-owned businesses received a huge wave of attention from the public. People shared online lists of Black-owned businesses in all kinds of categories as a way of showing their support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Support for Black-owned businesses is a way of addressing the wealth gap between Black and white people. Black people make up 13% of America’s population, yet they hold less than 3% of the nation’s wealth due to hundreds of years of systemic racism. 

How can we sustain support for Black-owned businesses as mainstream attention for the Black Lives Matter movement decreases? Here are actions you can take to help boost the success of Black businesses in the long term, as well as tips for supporting them in non-financial ways.

5 Ways to Support Black Businesses

1. Buy From Black-Owned Businesses

By purchasing products or services from Black-owned businesses, you’re helping to promote the growth of Black communities. If a Black business owner is successful, they can hire more Black people. This is especially important because Black people still face high levels of discrimination when applying for jobs. You can find Black-owned businesses by searching the Official Black Wall Street directory.

2. Donate Money

Have you visited the online store of a Black-owned business recently, only to find that everything is sold out, or their store is currently closed? Check their social media or let them know that you’d like to donate money. Black business owners are likely having difficulty restocking inventories during the COVID-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests. By donating, you’re helping the business operate smoothly and rebuild itself. The Black Lives Matter Card contains a list of Black-owned businesses that you can donate to.

3. Be Patient With Your Order

Black businesses are navigating trauma around police brutality while receiving more attention on their platforms. Large online retailers ship out items quickly, but often overwork and underpay their workers. Many Black-owned businesses have small or single-person teams that are processing orders from record-setting sales. If you have questions, check the business’ website for answers or do some research. Share constructive feedback while understanding the barriers that Black-owned businesses face (more on that below!).

4. Amplify Them on Social Media

Did you know that most people trust the recommendations of family and friends? Share your positive experiences with Black-owned businesses on your social media. Remember to do so in a way that centers Black businesses rather than your experiences. For example, avoid using hashtags such as #blackowned that should be reserved for businesses only. Are you unable to provide financial support for a business? Reshare their donation page and engage with their content regularly to help the business gain more visibility.

5. Fight Against Systemic Racism

Remember that buying from Black businesses is one step towards redistributing wealth towards Black communities. Racist public policies and institutions need to change too. Black business owners are twice as likely to be turned down for loans as white business owners are. The Paycheck Protection Program that was designed to help businesses keep their employees during the COVID-19 pandemic is also leaving out Black businesses. Only 12% of Black and Latinx small business owners received the financial assistance they requested. Keep on spreading awareness about systemic racism, demand change in local organizations, and register to vote out corrupt and racist politicians.

Final Words

Center Black business owners in the donation pages you reshare and content you engage with. These are great first steps. But to help Black businesses for the long run, we need to take down the system that has been challenging their success for hundreds of years. Let’s do our part in learning, sharing, educating, and fighting to eliminate oppression of all Black people. 

Citations

Demby, G. (2020, June 26). Activists Are Pushing For Consumers To Support Black Businesses. Is It Sustainable? Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2020/06/26/883823723/activists-are-pushing-for-consumers-to-support-black-businesses-is-it-sustainabl

Dreamers & Doers. (2020, June 12). How to go beyond buying and truly support Black-owned businesses, according to 4 Black entrepreneurs. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-support-black-owned-businesses-according-to-black-entrepreneurs-2020-6

Hopewell, D. (2020, June 25). Police Shootings Can Hurt Black Businesses. Retrieved from https://webuyblack.com/blog/police-shootings-can-hurt-black-businesses/