The National Urban League 40 years ago released the first edition of its State of Black America report. EatOkra: Featuring over 1,700 businesses, this app allows users to search for Black-owned restaurants in D.C. and in other major U.S. cities. In addition to these resources for donating, learning, and joining the fight, an important step you can take today is to provide monetary support and amplification to these businesses that are Black-Owned and Black-Operated.
Here are 10 black-owned businesses we've highlighted in print and online. If we're talking successful black-owned businesses, it makes sense to start with the IT behemoth World Wide Technology With more than $10 billion in annual revenue and over 5,000 employees, WWT is one of the largest private companies in the U.S.
For black-owned small businesses deprived of income, starved for federal assistance and with few savings to draw on, it has been a calamity. It profiles all sorts of businesses, including an app-powered barber shop, a purveyor of handcrafted leather goods, a mobile pet grooming service, organic beauty brands and bookshops, all accompanied with wonderful portraits of the owners.
From graphic designers advising a Black skin-care brand against using a Black woman in the logo, to realtors who feel they have to omit their pictures from For Sale" signs, many Black business owners feel pressured to hide who they are to be seen as capable of providing quality products and services.
Internet pay giant, Paypal , has now stepped forward condemning the systemic oppression and unveiled its plan to
support black businesses and help them thrive. I am honored to highlight the significant role that African Americans have made in shaping our economy through entrepreneurship and community investment.
She's noticed that this has been happening to fellow Black creators as well, and hopes that this isn't just a moment," but rather, a shift to a more continued appreciation for Black-owned businesses. Not surprisingly, the demise of so many black-owned businesses this year also highlights the legacy of racism in America.
They generally include online businesses and even some that might operate solely on a face-to-face basis. From tech to finance, food to real estate, Black-owned businesses are everywhere. By 1920, there were tens of thousands of Black businesses, the great majority of them quite small.