Uplifting Black Communities: From Supporting Black-Owned Businesses and Creators to Being an Ally

This guide dives into how we can uplift Black communities by educating yourself, being allies, donating, contacting your representatives, supporting Black food and lifestyle creators, and buying from Black-owned businesses.

1. What should I be doing to make the world a better place for EVERYONE to live, especially for black communities?

Let’s start with educating!

Educating yourself on the history behind the experiences Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities have and continue to face is a great place to start.

There is a lot of information circulating right now, and we understand it can seem overwhelming. Take a second to pause and reflect on how overwhelming it might be to take everything in, educate yourself about social justice issues, and take action. Now, take a second to reflect on how your own experiences and privileges have shaped your life.

Take a deep breath — you can do this! Let’s start with a few ways to avoid burnout, because educating yourself and creating social justice is not something with a finite timeline. This is a lifetime of work that we are responsible for each and every day. Allot a certain amount of time a day or hours a week to devote to educating yourself on social justice history, current events, and ways to move forward. If you are looking for a place to start we highly suggest watching the award-winning Netflix documentary 13th (uploaded by Netflix to watch for free on YouTube). It combines “archival footage with testimony from activists and scholars, director Ava DuVernay’s examination of the U.S. prison system looks at how the country’s history of racial inequality drives the high rate of incarceration in America.” 

Similarly, Emmanuel Acho’s series Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man is a Youtube channel where people can have conversations about race that they might have never been able to have. It touches on uncomfortable questions like, “How can I have white privilege if I’m not wealthy?” It is a powerful opportunity to better understand other people’s experiences, especially those of Black communities. 

Both 13th and Emmanuel Acho’s Youtube channel are good reminders that you don’t have to go far to educate yourself.

Be an ally! What does it mean to be an “ally?” From Guide To Allyship:

What do I need to do today, tomorrow, and every day in the future? From Guide To Allyship:

“Just as society will not change overnight, neither will you. Here are some important do’s and don’ts to consider as you learn, grow, and step into the role of an ally.”

Time to act on what you have learned

Action can mean many things! Action can be as simple as diversifying who you follow, the restaurants where you eat, and the companies you purchase from. Action can be voting on November 3rd or encouraging others to register to vote. It can also be having conversations with friends and family about what you have learned, protesting, and if you have the means, donating time and money to organizations.

It’s easy to find organizations specific to donate to in your area! Head to Google and search for something like “How can I support Black communities in [your city].”

Here’s what we found for San Diego and other national organizations: 

• Ways to Combat Racism Without Going to Protests 
• 142 Ways to Donate in Support of Black Lives and Communities of Color

A few that we really resonated with and/or donated to are: 

• The Okra Project is a collective that hopes to extend free, delicious, and nutritious meals to Black Trans People experiencing food insecurity. They accomplish this by bringing home-cooked, healthy, and culturally specific meals and resources to Black Trans People.
• Family Health Centers of San Diego provides caring, affordable, high-quality health care and supportive services to everyone, with a distinctive commitment to uninsured, low-income, and medically underserved persons.
• The Navajo Water Project is a community-managed utility alternative that brings hot and cold running water to homes without access to water or sewer lines. It’s the first system of its kind in the United States.
• The National Black Child Development Institute is dedicated to the success and well-being of Black children with a focus on education, care, and health by focusing on their communities’ needs and a lens of cultural competence.
• You Good Sis? is a collective for Black and Brown women and femmes looking for a mental, spiritual, and physical check-in. They strive to define and create a specific space dedicated to the well-being of women of color. 
• SoGal is a global platform for the education and empowerment of diverse entrepreneurs and investors. Their mission is to close the diversity gap in entrepreneurship and venture capital.
• Black Outside has a mission to re(connect) Black and African-American youth to the outdoors through culturally relevant outdoor experiences.
• The Bail Project’s mission is to combat mass incarceration and reshape the United States’ pretrial system. No amount is too small, especially when there are people who are in jail because they are unable to pay a $5 bail charge. Yes, you read that correctly. Some people are unable to pay $5 to be released on bail.
• The Tanitoluwa Adewumi Foundation is dedicated to helping children learn the game of chess and compete in chess tournaments by providing funding for those that cannot afford to do so for themselves. It’s named after Tani who is attempting to become the youngest chess grandmaster ever. Check out his book The Amazing True Story of One Boy’s Journey from Refugee to Chess Champion to read about his family’s full story.

Voting and signing petitions aren’t enough, contact your representatives today!

Contact your elected representatives using Resistbot! Not only is it easy, but you can text, use iMessage, Messenger, Twitter, etc. to send your letter. Not sure what to say? Send “Nearby” to Resist Bot to see open letters from your district or head to @resistbot and @openletterbot on Twitter for more ideas!

2. Black food and lifestyle creators — subscribe, support, comment, and interact on their accounts

In need of some new creators to follow? Here is a list of 15 (because we couldn’t narrow it to 10) food, lifestyle, and design bloggers/creators to follow to refresh your feed and find inspiration in new places! 

Lifehack! Subscribing, following, liking, commenting, and interacting on people’s accounts is 100% FREE, but it goes a long way to helping creators who have made their passions their careers! It’s also a way to learn new things while scrolling through social media or reading someone’s blog.

Black Food Creators

• Toni Tipton-Martin “is an award-winning food and nutrition journalist using cultural heritage and cooking for social change.” Toni has curated multiple cookbooks, her most recent being the award-winning “Jubilee Recipes From Two Centuries of African American Cooking.” The cookbook is a collection of 125 beautiful recipes that “paint a rich, varied picture of the true history of African-American cooking: a cuisine far beyond soul food.” Check them out on Facebook and Instagram!

• Food Heaven was created in 2011 as a creative outlet for Wendy and Jess, two Registered Dietitians with Master’s degrees in nutrition and certified diabetes educators. Not only do they have hundreds of amazing recipes on their website, but their blog and podcast cover important topics like 5 Ways to Make Sure You Eat When You’re Sick of Cooking and Our Top Tips For Navigating Stress Eating. Check them out on Instagram!

• Darius Williams is the creator of DariusCooks.TV, which is full of incredibly delicious-looking recipes, including many “soulful” vegan options. Darius has multiple cookbooks for all of your cooking wants and needs, like Vegan But With Soul. Check them out on Facebook and Instagram!

• “Tanorria Askew of Tanorria’s Table is a passionate home cook turned Chef. Tanorria has a keen sense of flavor and prides herself in making everything she cooks memorable.” Check them out on Facebook and Instagram!

• Aaron Hutcherson is the man behind The Hungry Hutch, a blog that highlights the “culinary adventures of a young(ish) man—I am a chef, writer and lover of all things food.” Check them out on Facebook and Instagram!

• Jocelyn Delk Adams is the chef behind Grandbaby Cakes, a brand inspired by her grandmother. Her cookbook Grandbaby Cakes: Modern Recipes, Vintage Charm, Soulful Memories is a collection of generational recipes that she’s put her own modern spin on. Check them out on Facebook and Instagram!

Black Lifestyle and Design Creators

• “Bianca Dottin is a lifestyle expert, mama, and blogger who loves to share her passion for traveling, cooking, baking, and creating.” Check them out on Facebook and Instagram!

• Mattie James is a wife and mom of three, who is “all about things that make everyday life better. Once upon a time, she was just a girl who loved to talk about the things she liked on her blog. Now, she has made it her business to share those things.” She still writes about all things lifestyle (e.g., beauty trends, home decor, self care), but also helps influencers take their businesses to the next level. Check them out on Facebook and Instagram!

• Shahid Batal is a Sudanese-American lifestyle, fashion, and travel vlogger in her mid 20’s. You can best keep up with her content on her Youtube channel and by checking out her Instagram!

• Hilton Carter is a plant and interior stylist and the author of Wild Interiors: Beautiful Plants in Beautiful Spaces. His Instagram is jam-packed with luscious green plants galore!

• Denese Butler, an interior designer who creates spaces to embody a lifestyle and feel like a safe haven, is the heart and soul behind The Perfect Vignette, Her Instagram is a beautiful combination of design inspiration and motherhood.

• My Cozy Corner is the creative outlet of Eureka, a wife, mother, student, and designer. Her Instagram is filled with clean, light, minimalist inspiration throughout the year. You can shop the looks from her home here!

• Danielle Coke is a phenomenal artist who creates meaningful artwork that sparks conversation. She uses her art and words to inspire justice and guide others to love their neighbors. Find her on Instagram and buy her latest prints here!

• Tracy Reese is a prominent fashion designer who specializes in women’s ready-to-wear clothing. She “believes in the transformative power that fashion can provide, the ability a piece of clothing can have to inspire self-confidence and personal agency.” Her brand Hope for Flowers incorporates positive, social, and ecological practices into their sourcing and operating structures. Check them out on Instagram!

• Sacrée Frangine is run by childhood friends Célia Amroune and Aline, a creative duo of artistic directors and illustrators. “The work of the Frangines is inspired by portraits, still lifes and feminine themes that explore the beauty of simple things and everyday life.” Check out their stunning prints here and follow them on Facebook and Instagram!

3. SUPPORT AND BUY FROM BLACK-OWNED FOOD AND DECOR BRANDS

Of the United States Fortune 500 companies, there are only four Black CEOs, that’s less than .01% in comparison to the national population of Black and African American people, which is nearly 15% of the population. Similarly, there have only been two Black women that have ever led a Fortune 500 company. According to an article by Dominic-Madori Davis, “The Center for Talent Innovation’s “Being Black in Corporate America report, released in late 2018, found that Black people account for only 3.2% of senior leadership roles at large corporations, and hold just 0.8% of Fortune 500 CEO positions. The study also found an overall lack of mentorship and access to senior leaders.”

Keep an eye on the list of companies that have taken the 15% Pledge. This petition is calling for major retailers to commit a minimum of 15% of their shelf space to Black-owned businesses. At the time this guide was published, only 4 retailers have taken the pledge.

Here are some of our favorite picks from The Strategist’s 138 Black-Owned Businesses to Support article:

• Nancy Twine founded the clean and cruelty-free haircare brand Briogeo. She grew up making homemade hair products with her grandmother.
• Founded in 2007, Mahogany Books is a brick and mortar and online retailer who “is dedicated to meeting the needs of readers in search of books written for, by, or about people of the African Diaspora.” Their blog, Black Books Matter, highlights bestsellers, book lists, and staff recommendations.

• “Red Bay Coffee is an ethically run, community-focused coffee company founded by artist and entrepreneur Keba Konte in Oakland, California.”
• “Pipcorn is a women-owned, minority-owned, family business that started as a heritage popcorn side project and has since evolved into a whole sustainable snack brand.”

• Lowe’s is one of the four Fortune 500 companies whose CEO, Marvin Ellison, is Black. As part of their ongoing COVID-19 relief efforts, Lowe’s has invested over $340 million to support communities, their associates, healthcare workers, and first responders. Also, Lowes contributed $55 million to LISC, of which $30 million will support small businesses owned or led by minorities and women.

A Quote for You to Reflect On

Yes, you should write Aurora City Council.
Yes, write your own city council.
Yes, sign petitions, but don’t be a keyboard activist.
Don’t just give a few bucks or a few hours, and don’t just protest.
You need to give up some of your privilege.
Give your money ’til it hurts.
Give your time ’til it hurts.
Give your safety ’til it hurts.
Give your free time ’til you are inconvenienced.
Give up your security, your family’s security, even if it makes you nervous.
Change your work, change your hobbies, change your house, change your friends if you have to.
Use your brains, your savings, your lack of melanin, your straight teeth, your driver’s license, your English language, your good health.
Use those privileges to help others who don’t have them.
That’s what you can do to help.

– Physician P.J. Parmar, founder of Ardas Family Medicine, a private practice for resettled refugees, and Mango House, a home for refugees with activities and services like dental care, food banks, churches, and afterschool programs.

Uplifting Black Communities: A Collaborative Effort

As creators ourselves and the team behind Toot Sweet 4 Two, we felt that it was our responsibility to create this guide. While this is not an exhaustive list of resources, we hope that you find it useful. Remember, this is a journey with no concrete start and end; it’s a lifetime of work that we are responsible for every day.

Let us know what other organizations, Black-owned brands, or Black creators should be added to the list.

Sincerely,
Carole (Founder), Jacqueline, & Dylan

In addition to our own research, we utilized resources from:
9 Black Interior Designers We Love to Follow
25 Black-Owned Businesses and Organizations to Support Right Now
How To Keep Fighting for Racial Justice in Your Community