All Americans Should Participate in Shop Black Week if Black Lives Really Matter

DALLAS, Nov. 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Early projections indicate that over $400,000,000 could be spent during "Shop Black Week" (SBW) 2020.  SBW was created to encourage ALL Americans to spend money with Black-owned businesses.  With the success of the SBW campaign last year, early interest from supporters, copycat initiatives, and the SBW website's daily organic traffic, SBW Organizers predict that millions of Americans will participate, and if only 15-20% of Black adults spent at least $50 with Black-owned businesses, the $400,000,000 projection is an easily attainable goal.

Numerous news reports, plenty of protests, viral videos and cultural conversations have touched most Americans who now recognize the lasting impact of systemic racism.  "Everyone now seems to recognize that Black lives really do matter, and thanks to Shop Black Week, everyone will understand that Black economics matter too," says Carla Tillman, PhD, SBW's National Director. Fortunately, many high-profile celebrities, athletes, and influencers see a tremendous personal responsibility to do something to shift the narrative and hopefully Black and non-Black influencers will support SBW too.  "We believe the heightened awareness of the campaign is slated to be well-received and gain massive support and partnership," says Aysha Jackson, SBW's Campaign Coordinator. 

During the inaugural SBW, there were active debates on social media, during radio and television programs and in social settings wondering if non-Black consumers would participate.  In an article published by RetailWire, the question "Will Americans of all colors respond to 'Shop Black Week'?" was posed to three non-Black "experts." One expert pointed out the long-standing quandary - where does one find Black-owned businesses? Another expert indicated that the SBW campaign could "have a profound impact on the community and an initiative worthy of investment" but believed that the impact should be felt longer than a week.  Fortunately, expert Doug Garnett, President, Protonik seemed to understand the magnitude of the SBW campaign and said, "...of all the special shopping weeks that have been established, this [Shop Black Week] is probably the most important one — the single one that really should be supported powerfully."

The truth is all of these experts were correct.  In order for SBW to be successful, 1) high-quality Black-owned businesses must be made readily available; 2) the impact of SBW must extend beyond a week, and 3) if ALL Americans supported SBW spending just $35, it could be the biggest economic campaign in history for Black Americans.  Therefore, SBW Organizers 1) ensures that high-quality Black-owned businesses can be found via the website (shopblackweek.org), 2) the impact starts during the campaign, then extends into the holiday season and throughout the following year, and 3) urging ALL Americans to participate, means that SBW would be the single most important special shopping week for Black Americans.

Everyone making a purchase from a Black-owned business during SBW November 20-27th should hashtag #shopblackweek and let everyone know about any purchases including business names, locations, dates and photos. All interested businesses should register and become qualified to be listed in the SBW Directory at shopblackweek.org.

Media Inquiries - Latoya Meshell, (833) 991-0911 or [email protected]. Visit https://www.shopblackweek.org/media-kit/.

SOURCE Shop Black Week