Celebrities Are Putting Their Money Where Their Mouth Is
Some with their words, some with their influence, and some with their bank accounts, celebrities from all walks are making their presence known by championing Black Lives Matter protests and initiatives. Here are a few:
- Drake posted a screenshot on his Stories of a $100,000 donation to the National Bailout Fund.
- The Weeknd donated $100,000 to the National Bailout Fund as well as an additional $400,000 total to both the Black Lives Matter Global Network and Colin Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camp.
- Chrissy Teigen donated $200,000 to various bailout funds.
- Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds donated $200,000 to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
- Seth Rogan, Steve Carrell, Janelle Monae, Harry Styles, and many others donated $1,000 to the Minnesota Freedom Fund, causing a train reaction where hundreds of others matched their donation amount. In the past week alone the fund has raised over $20 million.
Finding and supporting black-owned businesses in your city is a true sign of support and allyship. And now finding them isn’t nearly as difficult as it once was. Black tech founders and minority CEOs have created apps that will help you locate black-owned restaurants, clothing boutiques, creative agencies, and more. Here are a few you should know:
Black Wall Street - founded in 2014 by a Mandy Bowman, Black Wall Street is an all-encompassing directory for black businesses. The app allows businesses to create a profile or listing for their business and consumers can find those businesses in their area or for when they travel.
WeBuyBlack - Deemed “the Black Amazon,” WeBuyBlack allows consumers to find items you need from Black sellers and black-owned businesses. The company was founded in 2015 by Shareef Abdul-Malik.
Black Nation - Launched in 2018 by its founder Rameish Budhoo, Black Nation is another very thoughtfully designed, fully integrated app that allows black-owned businesses to list their businesses and its services.
EatOkra - Founded by Anthony and Janique Edwards in 2016, EatOkra is all about the eats. The app allows you to find local black-owned restaurants in 35 cities; including Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Chicago, Houston, and more.
WhereU Come From - Created in 2016 by Dr. Dionne Mahaffey as a subsidiary of her company, The CPAI Group, Inc., the tech executive created the company to allow users to publish crowd-sourced listings and referrals about Black-owned businesses.
Beauty brand Glossier isn’t much for talking; they’re about action. In a very powerful Instagram post, the company pledged to donate $1 million to various black organizations. The pledge amount confirms they’re committed. But their words, their words, affirm that they absolutely, 100% “get it.”
"We stand in solidarity with the fight against systemic racism, white supremacy, and the historic oppression of the Black community," reads a statement posted to Instagram.”
“We will be donating $500K across organizations focused on combating racial injustice: Black Lives Matter, The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, The Equal Justice Initiative, The Marsha P. Johnson Institute, and We The Protestors."
“In an effort to make an impact within our own industry, we will be allocating an additional $500K in the form of grants to Black-owned beauty businesses–more details to come on this initiative in June.”
Glossier’s firm commitment to combat racial inequality and support black-owned businesses has inspired other companies in the beauty industry to do the same. Sunday Riley and Biossance have also pledged to make financial contributions to similar organizations like those mentioned in Glossier’s’ statement.
