Find Black-Owned Businesses To Support With These Tools
There are about 2.6 million black-owned businesses in the U.S., and according to data from Google Trends, people are actively looking to support them. In the 21 days since May 17, searches spiked from almost nothing to peak popularity on Google, growing exponentially. Google and other search engines are a good place to start, but other resources exist to simplify your search.
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One option is the app Black Nation, which connects you to businesses that specialize in food, beauty, shopping, photography and fitness, plus attorneys, doctors and realtors. For a similar function, look to sites and apps such as The Black Wallet, WeBuyBlack, I Am Black Business, WhereU Came From and Official Black Wall Street.
On Instagram and Twitter, hashtags including #blackowned and #supportblackbusiness will bring you to related posts too.
For black-owned restaurants near you, you can use the restaurant guides Eat Black Owned and EatOkra. There are also continuously updated and now-viral spreadsheets featuring black-owned restaurants, cafes, bakeries and more in major cities such as Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, Austin and New York City as well as all of New England.
If you're in need of delivery, Postmates and Uber Eats are highlighting black-owned restaurants in-app. Each collection is easily accessible via the homepage and if you don't see your local favorite, you can suggest it. At the time of this writing, both apps are offering free delivery from black-owned restaurants.
Historically, black chefs have been underrecognized for their contributions to the culinary world, and while there's still a long way to go, the food industry continues to evolve with pioneers paving the way. From Marcus Samuelsson to Kwame Onwuachi, these black chefs have changed the food industry.