African American Businesses you can support on Black Friday / Cyber Monday #BuyBlack

It's the day after Thanksgiving and online shopping is booming. Here is a list of African American online retailers that you may wish to support.

Milions will be spent between now and Cyber Monday, let's do our part to #BuyBlack during that time and spread the wealth around.

If you know of any more Black owned companies just drop the link in the comments section.

CultureFit

Shop CultureFit Here: https://www.culturefitclothing.com/

Bevel

Shop Bevel Here: https://getbevel.com/shave-kit

Becki Oakley

Shop Becki Oakley Here: https://www.beckicoakley.com/

PerryCo

Shop PerryCo Here: https://perrycoshoes.com/

Agnes Badoo

Shop Agnes Badoo Here: https://www.agnesbaddoo.com/

Mahogany Books

Shop Mahogany Books Here: https://www.mahoganybooks.com/

Talley & Twine

Shop Talley & Twine Here: https://talleyandtwine.com/

Third Crown (Jewelery)

Shop Third Crown Here: https://www.thirdcrown.com/

BLAC Minerals (make up)

Shop Blac Minerals Here: https://www.blacminerals.com/

The Lip Bar (make up)

Shop The Lip Bar Here: https://thelipbar.com/

Uhai Hair (hair care)

Shop Uhair Hair Here: https://uhaihair.com/ /a>

Flawless by Gabrielle Union (hair care)

Shop Flawless by Gabrielle Union Here: https://www.amazon.com/flawlessbygabrielleunion?tag=1258948-shoppingblackownedbiz-20

Brown Butter Beauty (skin care)

Shop Brown Butter Beauty Shop Here: https://www.brownbutterbeautyshop.com/

Hanahana Beauty (skin care)

Shop Hanahana Beauty Here: https://hanahanabeauty.com/

Black Men Launch #SpendBlack Campaign With an Innovative Twist

MIAMI, Aug. 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, in response to the heart-wrenching and racially-charged shootings in July, black men in the BMe Community have launched a coordinated #spendblack campaign that has three innovative twists – it's visually inspiring, easy to join and asks people of all races to #spendblack. The visual inspiration comes from a beautiful photo-wall of those who have joined the campaign at www.Pictition.com/SpendBlack

You'll already find notable faces there, including Benjamin Jealous, former head of NAACP, "Greenleaf" co-star Lamman Rucker, and crowdfunding pioneer Charles Best of DonorsChoose.org.

#Spendblack's central message is, "We can all show support for black lives by simply supporting black livelihood."

Organizers estimate that if Americans spent just 2% more of their income in the 2.6-million black-owned businesses, it would create 1-million more jobs.

#Spendblack began with Detroiters Jason Wilson, Shawn Blanchard and Teferi Brent who are all leaders in BMe Community, a national network of inspired black men who have dedicated their lives to creating hope and opportunity. Through BMe, Jealous, Rucker, Best and two dozen BMe Leaders in Akron, Baltimore, Detroit, Miami, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh joined them immediately.

"In order for there to be true change in our communities we've got to increase the economic power of the black-owned businesses that truly care about our community," says Jason Wilson, well-known for his inspiring videos teaching black boys lessons in manhood.

Unlike most hashtag campaigns, #spendblack provides resources and ongoing motivation to help you actually spend black.

Everyone who signs up at www.Pictition.com/SpendBlack is told where to download a mobile app that works like Yelp for black-owned food, clothing, and furniture stores, as well as entertainment and professional services that you may not have known where to find.

Participants are encouraged to keep the visual fun going by taking pictures of themselves spending black and posting them on Instagram and Twitter with "#spendblack."

BMe Community, the network supporting the campaign, is known for its 2015 New York Times bestseller "REACH: 40 Black Men Speak on Living, Leading and Succeeding", and for funding over 160 BMe Leaders who directly serve over 500,000 people annually by creating businesses, educating children and protect human rights in 6 cities.

BMe is backed by private donations and leading philanthropies including the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Campaign for Black Male Achievement, The Heinz Endowments, and The William R. Keenan Jr. Charitable Trust. Visit www.BMeCommunity.org or contact Media@BMeCommunity.org for more information.

Some black business owners strain to sell to black consumers

When Terina McKinney displays her leather bags and belts at events attended primarily by black women, they are often interested in her designs, and in her experience as an African-American business owner. But she seldom makes sales.

“They all ooh and ahh and ask a ton of questions, but don’t necessarily make purchases,” says McKinney, whose Jypsea Leathergoods products range from $20 to $325. Instead, her customers tend to be white or Asian women. While calls have been increasing for black consumers to support black-owned businesses with their buying power estimated at more than $1.2 trillion a year, social media campaigns with momentum like (hash)buyblack are relatively new. And McKinney’s frustration is shared by some other black business owners who say they can find it hard to sell to black consumers.

The factors can be logistical or practical, such as being located farther away or having higher prices than big chain stories, retail experts and civic leaders say. Scarcity can be a reason: It can be hard to find businesses owned by African-Americans. But other considerations might be emotional, like wanting a trendy design everyone is wearing, or the perception that national brands are better.

“There’s a myth that’s been placed on our communities for many generations: White people’s ice is colder. White businesses are superior to black businesses,” says Ron Busby, president of the U.S. Black Chambers, a national business organization for black-owned companies. “We have to change that mentality. We have to be better, conscientious consumers.”

Read More: Some black business owners strain to sell to black consumers