I am a serial shopaholic and foodie. Whether it’s in my home city or abroad I want to find local experiences and goods. This is likely a reaction from my upbringing. My folks shopped big box stores and outside of a local Black fish joint most of my childhood restaurant experiences involved yeast rolls and buffets. As I got older and definitely once I started living and working in small town Indiana, my appreciation grew for supporting local businesses with an extra excitement around finding Black ones. Economic prosperity for Blacks in the US was not a part of the master plan (whole pun intended). However, so much of how we move and where our money goes shapes this county’s popular culture, trends and economy. Additionally, we’ve all come to the realization that 9-5 hustling is now the long-game approach to increased wealth versus business ownership. Don’t get me wrong my 9-5 covered the laptop I’m typing this post on today, but I know entrepreneurship and smart investments is going to create my kids/village college funds and a Caribbean beach home by 50.

BrittBuysBlack1 — Soulful Sweets

New local baker who specializes in cupcakes and cheesecakes. Delish!

So that’s why I’m trying to be more intentional about buying Black. If I want to keep “Rooting for everybody Black” as Issa Rae declared, I have to put my money where my mouth is and participate in Black wealth generation. And this isn’t always easy. My folks were working-class frugal shoppers. Cheap, easy, convenient. Those were the values for our family purchasing. Shopping/dining local doesn’t always align with that, so it does take more work and intentionality to do.

Luckily, there are plenty of resources to help with this. From Black-owned restaurant lists and campaigns to online databases and Instagram accounts. If anything, supporting local Black businesses should be easier than ever before. Not sure where to begin? Try these simple practices to help you buy Black:

Find a Black professional for your regular services (hair, taxes, dentistry, tattooing)
Dine at a Black-owned and/or operated restaurant at least once a week or month
Replace some of your normal toiletries or household items with Black-owned brands
Buy more works from Black authors and artists, stream Black musicians and shows
Promote local Black businesses on your social media or word of mouth (it’s free.99)
Utilizing Black-owned vendors, speakers, experts for your business

BrittBuysBlack2 — Jassi Beauty

Productions

My nail tech gets me RIGHT and she nails the inspo I bring in every time.

To better amplify how I’m investing in my community, I’m going to start tagging my social media posts with #BrittBuysBlack to highlight Black-owned businesses, goods and services. Make sure you follow along and be sure to check some of these places out too. Also, don’t forget to tip and leave a review! Listen money may be tight right now, but by no means has it completely stopped moving during the pandemic, so please, flow it through the Black community any chance you can. If you’re in Indy there’s also a really awesome campaign going on call #IndyBlackBusinessesMatter. Sign up to get your sign for location’s window. Days of solidarity are nice, but our economy is shook by lasting trends not just one-time or episodic blows. I still claim a lot of new Black millionaires in this decade. So let’s get to it!

Get Money. Buy Black!