Making an impact for the Black communities & businesses
This past week, with all the unimaginable and terrifying things we’ve all learned about and witnessed, we’ve also seen a large community come together, in support of another.
I don’t like to use the terms “white people”, and “black people”, or even POC, or BIPOC, as to me, it still separates us into “us” and “them” and so on; I want to think of us all as humans, no matter the color of our skin. Yet I understand the need to emphasize these terms, as black people are absolutely right - us, the “whites” have not been paying attention, and finally, many of us have awakened this week.
This past week was tough, but I’ve also seen a lot of people finally stand up and use their voices by bringing awareness and support for black people. Many may say this is too little too late, but in this situation, I’d rather have us join later than never.
Julia of GalMeetsGlam has shared 26 Small Businesses Owned by Women of Color (happy and grateful that she joined in this movement). To that list, I would also add Adams&So, whose founder, Sonia Aicha is passionate about changing the world through ethical fashion, social responsibility, and authenticity.
Meghan of Wit&Whimsy shared a bunch of resources, as well as Black-owned businesses. Jess has shared a beautiful list of clean-beauty brands owned by Black people, as well as so many other things worth diving into.
I spent a lot of time this past week reading, watching videos, and looking for Black people involved in making a change for themselves and their communities. I have been overjoyed to read about two bookstores owned by Black women saying that they were overwhelmed with orders. Later, I found that many others are in their shoes. So. Much. Joy.
I came across BooksNCrannies (what a clever name!) on Twitter and I was so happy to see it get much love (thanks HistoryInHighHeels for lending a hand), to the point that she had to temporarily stop taking orders to keep up. She mentioned Semicolon, Chicago’s only Black woman-owned bookstore and gallery space, with a beautiful story I wanted to touch on here.
Semicolon was “created with one thing in mind: community. We are committed to having a direct impact in raising literacy rates in Chicago and beyond. We do this through our consistent effort to support CPS school through direct donations in the form of books. In this time of uncertainty, we want to give the gift of hope moving forward through #changingthenarrative. On April 24, 2020, we are inviting CPS students to the store to #cleartheshelves. Our hope is that they will happily take every book we have. In our efforts, we are raising $25,000”. On June 3rd, she reported that their goal was reached; once again we are shown how great things happen when we come together.
This led to finding Harriet’s Bookshop, an independent bookshop in the Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia celebrating women authors, women artists, and women activists. Once again, I was so happy to see that they had to temporarily stop taking orders online due to an overwhelming response.
Apart from the above, here’s a list of African-American-owned bookstores, shared by Tyler Gindraux on Twitter, that I hope you’ll consider when buying books:
DetroitBookCity bookstore;
The Lit. Bar, a book store and wine bar with one interesting story;
AshayByTheBay, a children’s bookstore;
FrugalBookstore, on Twitter, which was also overwhelmed with orders;
TheKeyBookstore, an interactive online bookstore;
EsoWon, one of the largest African American Bookstores in the country;
MahoganyBooks, an award-winning independent bookstore specializing in books written for, by, or about people of the African Diaspora;
UncleBobbie’s, coffee and books;
AfriwareBooks, offering books, gifts, T-shirts, and more.
While there are so many other businesses and stories that need to be brought to the spotlight, I am confident that we will do so from now on, and I hope wholeheartedly that this movement keeps on going.
I have to be honest and admit that I am not currently shopping, but I have saved a list with businesses I’m interested in as I discover them on IG, and everywhere else. Nonetheless, I relish in the impact we’ve collectively made, either by sharing, and/or ordering from these businesses and the small victories we’ve won so far. Yet, there’s so much more work for us. Be well & stay safe.
xoxo,
Em
