February is Black History Month, and with so much discussion about supporting Black owned businesses, there’s often a huge piece of the puzzle left out: where can I actually support these businesses? Luckily, Ja’Quacy Minter, the social media chair of @bamaforensics, came up with a list of excellent places to support. This obviously isn’t a definitive list, but it’s an awesome way to start curating your shopping this month and every month!
- Etsy
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Etsy is a great place to shop for personalized items, cute niche gifts, and home decor made by Black artists. Etsy allows new and experienced creators from different disciplines to gain online footing before opening their individual online shops. Etsy has even curated a section specifically for Black artists here.
- Target
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Target is a major carrier of several Black-owned businesses, ranging from beauty to food. Not only does Target have a Black History Month pop up in most stores, but the Black-owned products they have are easy to find in-store. They’ve added all of their products to this site, so that you can create your own list for when you go shopping in-store or easily add these items to your online shopping cart.
- Amazon
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For people with a Prime membership, Amazon is a great tool to connect you with Black-owned brands. They’ve cultivated a specific list of Black-owned businesses to shop from here. Amazon is also a great way to share goods that you find with others, allowing everyone to become more aware of the awesome businesses they can support!
- Support black owned website
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To find individual stores and sellers, Support Black Owned has tracked down tons of Black-owned businesses as well as Black professionals, like accountants, dentists, doctors and photographers. This is crucial, as many Black Americans struggle to find representation in these fields. Especially in the medical field, Black doctors can literally be lifesaving for Black patients. SBO allows you to input what/who you are searching for and where you’re located. After you do this, it’ll show you your options! They also have an easy-to-use app.
- We Buy Black
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We Buy Black is an online marketplace specifically with products from Black-owned brands. What’s great about this site is that they offer a Starter Kit of their popular home items to introduce you to some of their best sellers. This site has literally everything; from light bulbs to laundry detergent, you can switch many of your everyday essentials and staples with ease. You can find the website here.
- Eat Okra
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Eat Okra focuses specifically on Black-owned restaurants and eateries in your area. These restaurants are listed on the site so that they are easy to find. In their mission, Eat Okra explains that they want to amplify dining experiences “for and by Black communities.” Another bonus – they also include food trucks! You can check out all the amazing food and restaurants here.
- City-specific databases
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Often, popular cities or college towns will curate their own lists of Black-owned businesses that you can support. The city of Tuscaloosa, AL has done just that. They’ve created a living directory that anyone can find and use to visit as many Black-owned places as they’d like. If your city does not currently have this amenity, try to curate one for yourself and get others on board! This is a great way to promote Black-owned businesses and show your city that highlighting them is important and necessary.
If your budget is tight this month, you can still support Black businesses through social media, promoting these various resources, and directing people to Black-owned places. When these businesses are supported, Black creators feel heard, appreciated, and get to highlight their awesome creations and skills. This Black History Month, and every other month, we can truly celebrate Black creators, artists, chefs, and professionals by tailoring our shopping experiences.