As Black Friday approaches, Black business owners hope shoppers don’t forget them

As Black Friday arrives some Black entrepreneurs say they hardly feel the enthusiasm of 2020's #BuyBlack movement.

April Showers (her real name), a self-described “serial entrepreneur” much of her life, looks at 2020 as a paradox.

George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis and the ensuing social justice movement across the country were “painful and exhausting. Very troubling and a moment in time we won’t forget,” she said. 

For a Black businesswoman, though, the subsequent impact of the protests following Floyd’s death heightened awareness of vast social inequities and inspired the #BuyBlack movement, which encouraged support of Black-owned businesses.

In June 2020, Canadian fashion designer and activist Aurora James reasoned on social media that Black people represent 15% of the “American population and we need to represent 15%” of retailers’ “shelf space.” Companies followed her suggestion, bringing Black-owned brands into their stores and inviting collaborations at unprecedented rates.

Soon, Showers’ online business, Afro Unicorn — a brand she started in 2019 to celebrate the beauty of Black people — tallied record sales. Her products feature unicorns in various shades of brown on clothing, bedding, backpacks and more. 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/black-friday-black-business-buyblack-2020-rcna125354

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