By Taryn Finley
Guest Writer
Black Lives Matter is making it easier than ever to find and support black-owned businesses.
In partnership with ad agency J. Walter Thompson New York, the organization launched a beta version of BackingBlackBusiness.com, a website that allows people to discover black-owned businesses throughout the country, on Monday. Shoppers can search for businesses through categories like food and beverage, health and beauty, entertainment and lifestyle.
Black Lives Matter wants BackingBlackBusiness.com to become “the biggest and most easily accessible black businesses database in the country,” according to a statement.
“Black-owned business have long been a staple in the Black community providing jobs, economic security and a somewhere for us to go and feel seen and safe,” said Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors. “In these uncertain times, we need these places more than ever.”
With this interactive tool, Brent Choi, Chief Creative Officer of J. Walter Thompson New York said that they hope to “reduce the racial disparity that exists in economic well-being through the promotion of black business ownership.”
The Google map-based site currently has information for more than 300 businesses and aims to have a diverse array of black-owned businesses represented on the site by the end of 2017, including non-profits and online stores.
Taryn Finley is a Black Voices Associate Editor at The Huffington Post, based in New York City.
