Kori Barnes 
With the monumental movement of #BlackLivesMatter and protesting for Black lives that continue to demand for equality and justice, a beauty has been birthed–more awareness that surrounds the Black community and Black businesses. Due to the power of social media and celebrity platforms, threads of Black owned businesses have become prominent as more people recognize the need to support these businesses. One of the celebrities geared toward encouraging the Black community is Beyoncé. She put together a curated directory of Black owned businesses on her website ranging from fashion to home and living brands that have generated much attention and purchase traffic.
Here is a thread of Black owned businesses ranging in a variety of categories.
Beauty/Lifestyle:
- Body by Jor (lipgloss and body shimmer) bodybyjor.com/
- Moonxcomesticsllc shopmoonxcosmetics.com/
- Lady Lashes ladylashes.com
- Lotus Flower OM lotusflowerom.com
- Calm Aura happyaura.com/products/calm-aura
Restaurants (Chicago Based):
- Food on the Run chicagofoodontherun.com/
- B&B Ice Cream and Candy
- Cutie Pie’s Kitchen
- Jamaican Jerk Villa jamaican-jerk-villa.business.site
- Dirty Bird’s Southern Kitchen
Home Lifestyle:
- Pardo Naturals pardonaturals.com
- The Black Queen Planner theblackqueenplanner.com
- Copper and Brass Paper Goods copperandbrass.net
- Pepper Palm nashvillecreativecommons.com/collections/pepper-palm
- Grounded Plants grounded-plants.com
Books/Novels:
- Semicolon Bookstore semicolonchi.com (Chicago)
- Mahogany Books mahoganybooks.com (Washington, DC)
- Little Boho Bookshop helittlebohobookshop.com (Bayonne, NJ)
- Eso Won Books esowonbookstore.com (California)
- The Lit Bar thelitbar.com (Bronx, NY)
Art:
- The Pairabirds (Tabitha Brown) thepairabirds.com
- Lanre Studio lanrestudio.com
- ThatArtista thatartista.com
- Tess Armstrong Art etsy.com/market/tess_armstrong_art
- Shadrieka etsy.com/shop/shadrieka
Please understand the importance of purchasing from Black owned businesses and showing your support to our community. Take the time to do your research on what the companies you usually purchase from are doing for the Black Lives Matter movement and where they stand in solidarity with us. Unfortunately, not all brands we consume daily, ranging from food to fashion, stand in solidarity with the African American community. We need to take a stand against their racism and participation in injustice.
Do your research. Purchase from Black owned businesses. Support the Black Lives Matter movement which will continue to spread awareness and never die down.
By Kori Barnes, Junior, UNLV
Instagram: @korixnicole
