“What Can I do? I’m just one person!” (Said Eight Billion People)

Choose Black-Owned Campaign Planning Resources – 2025

Some quick details:

• • Choose Black-Owned Month is February
  • Ideas for:
    • Independent business alliances, chambers, and other associations
    • Black-owned businesses
    • Locally owned businesses
  • Find our Press Release template here
  • Find downloadable Choose Black-Owned logos and other images here
  • CANVA TEMPLATE: Spotlight Black Owned Businesses (you need to log into your Canva account to access this template)
  • Find social media examples
  • Add these hashtags to your posts: #chooseblackowned #chooseindielocal #blackindielocal
    • Other suggestions

• Anyone anywhere can get involved

Making Ripples

From February 1 to February 28, our Choose Black-Owned campaign works to increase spending at Black-owned businesses.  Together, we urge our communities to take positive action and boost the ripple effects our neighborhoods, towns, and cities receive when we spend and invest more of our dollars in Black-owned businesses.

Amplifying Our Work

We strive to amplify all local, statewide, national, and international networks’ efforts to promote buying at black-owned businesses during the month of February.

Sharing Inspiration

Choose Black-Owned

• Create directories, passports, and other activities that drive shoppers to Black-owned independents in their communities
• Amplify all types of Black-owned independent businesses in partner communities

 

Campaign Partners’ Landing Pages (Current & Past)

• The Local Crowd Monadnock (NH) – 2025
• CS Black Business Net — SBN Sustainable Business Network (MA) – 2024
• Louisville Independent Business Alliance (KY) – 2024
• Keene Family YMCA (NH) – 2024
• Cambridge Local First (MA) – 2023
• Local Return (RI) – 2023

 

Passports/Raffles

• 2022 Passport

 

Why Choose Black-Owned?

• Choose Black-Owned Month: Why Celebrate? – AMIBA
• 6 Reasons to Support Black-Owned Businesses | Green America
• https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/importance-supporting-black-owned-businesses-pphqc/
• Supporting Black-Owned Businesses: A Comprehensive Guide for Consumers
• 7 Ways to Support Black-Owned Businesses | SCORE

 

Shop Black-Owned Campaigns

• Fifteen Percent Pledge

 

Directories/Gift Guides/Online Marketplaces

• ByBlack Certification
• Shop Black Owned | Shop Black Owned
• African American/Black Owned Businesses and Orgs (Tri-Cities, WA)
• Yoruba Life (NC)
• EatOkra
• Black-Owned Bookstores to Support Right Now (and Always) – Libro.fm Audiobooks
• Resources for African American Writers, Authors and Readers
• Amplify POC Cape Cod
• Black-Owned Businesses (Cambridge, MA)
• Amplify POC Cape Cod (MA)
• Durham’s Black-Owned Businesses
• Black Owned Maine
• Black-owned Businesses in Cincinnati – Tour de Cincinnati
• Grand Rapids Area Black Businesses
• Black-Owned Restaurants, Shops and other San Diego Businesses
• BIPOC Business Directory – The Vermont Professionals of Color Network
• NH Minority-Owned Businesses (Responses)
• New England Black-Owned Businesses and Local/National Organizations
• Support our Black-Owned Small Businesses – Pacific Community Ventures
• Directory Black-Owned Businesses | Mercatus (Portland, OR)
• Black-Owned Brooklyn
• Honoring the legacy of Black-owned businesses in the U.S.
• (See more directories below)

 

Black Restaurant Campaigns/Events

• https://okcblackeats.com/
• Memphis Black Restaurant Week
• Black Restaurant Week – Oakland
• Richmond Black Restaurant Experience
• Hampton Roads Black Restaurant Week
• Shreveport Black Restaurant Week
• Black-Owned Restaurants to Check Out in Philly — Visit Philadelphia
• Chicago BLACK Restaurant Week!
• Black Restaurant Week San Antonio
• Home | DMVbrw (2023)
• Black Restaurant Week
  • Black Diamond Class
  • Black Restaurant Week Bingo

 

Supporting Artists/Public Art

• Souls Grown Deep
• https://www.instagram.com/p/DEVlyMKSU3k
• Black Lens – Community Engagement | Milwaukee Film
• Well-Read Black Girl with Glory Edim on Apple Podcasts

 

Event Ideas

• Black History Month Literary Weekend: Meet the Authors and vendors
• SpeakOut

 

Pop-Up Shops

• BIPOC Pop-Up Markets on Alberta Street

Celebrate Black-Owned

• Highlight how communities are coming together to celebrate diversity and build equity
• Acknowledge Black history and role in the future growth of just and equitable local economies

 

Racial Equity

• Racial Equity Tools
• The Greenlining Institute
• Black Wealth Data Center
• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | Local First
• Black Futures Month – M4BL
• White Accomplices
• Toronto Action Plan To Confront Anti-Black Racism
• https://www.raceforward.org/
• Racial Economic Inequality
• Prosperity Now Scorecard
• Tools & Resources | Government Alliance on Race and Equity

 

Black History Month

• Crash Course Black American History
• Black Land Loss in the United States – FoodPrint
• Celebrating Black History Month
• Social Media Toolkit | National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Black Co-op History Resource List
• We Wear Black – YMCA
  • This year: February 23 (Keene, NH)
  • Rejoice Awards (2023)
• 28 Days of Black History
• 9 ways to celebrate Black History Month in 2023 – CNET
• Blackpast
• Black History Month Challenge | Citizens
• Celebrate Black History with Main Street America
  • https://www.mainstreet.org/blogs/national-main-street-center/2022/02/17/main-spotlight-commemorating-black-history-on-main (2022)
• Black History Month Museum Guide (San Diego, 2022)
• https://www.mountainsplains.org/event/black-history-month-begins-2/

• Greenwood District | The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture
• Young People Are Digitally Rebuilding Tulsa’s Black Wall Street (2021)

 

Invest Black-Owned

• Highlight efforts to grow new and stronger Black-owned independents
• Boost efforts to invest in Black-owned independents and Black entrepreneurs

 

Invest Black-Owned

• RUNWAY
• BincTank – Binc
• Real People’s Fund
• Path to 15|55
• Minority-owned-business loans | New Hampshire Community Loan Fund
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation
• https://www.potlikkercapital.com/
• Common Future launches first racial equity accelerator – ImpactAlpha (2023)
• Uptima Entrepreneur Cooperative
• Beautiful Ventures
• FundBLACKFounders – Metro United Way

 

Crowdfund Black-Owned

• The Karibbean Restaurant: Building a more welcoming and inclusive community through food – Upper Valley (2023)

 

Industry-Led Efforts

• J.E.D.I Collaborative
• Advocacy Activities at National Co+op Grocers
• Accounts Payable Specialist Dives Into Increasing the Diversity of Co-op Vendors

 

Cultivate Black-Owned

• Drive advocacy and policy efforts that strengthen small business ecosystems for Black-owned independents
• Identify pollinator enterprises and other place-based efforts to support Black-owned independents

 

Anti-Monopoly

• Liberation in a Generation
  • Anti-Monopoly Activism: Reclaiming Power through Racial Justice | Liberation in a Generation, a fiscally-sponsored project of PolicyLink. All rights reserved.
  • From Big Business To A Liberation Economy

Black Business Networks

• KC Black Owned (Kansas City, MO)
• Black Support Network (Oakland, CA)
• Young Black & N’ Business (San Diego, CA)
• CS Black Business Net — SBN Sustainable Business Network (MA)
• The Deuces Live (St. Petersburg, FL)
• Grand Rapids Area Black Businesses (MI)
• BAPOC-NH
• Upper Valley BIPOC Network (VT/NH)

Economic Impact/Supporting Small Business Ecosystem

• Toolkit – SBAN Anti Displacement
• U.S. Black Chambers, Inc.
• Innovation & Equitable Development (Inno.ED) | dslbd
• https://www.economicscenter.org/aacc-research-project-full-page/
• https://www.ofcolor.com/about
• We Rise — Local First Arizona
• Black Achievers
• https://www.byanybeans.com/projects
• Uptima Entrepreneur Cooperative

More resources

• TOOLS FOR TALKING ABOLITION & TRANSFORMATIVE JUSTICE WITH LITTLE ONES

More Directories

• Support Black-Owned Businesses: 450+ Places to Start Online
• Floral: https://www.thezoereport.com/living/black-owned-florists
• Bookstores: https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/books/a33497812/black-owned-bookstores/
• Bookstores: http://www.sourcebooksellers.com/; http://www.sourcebooksellers.com/about
• ★ A List Black Owned, Independent Book Stores
• A List Black-Owned Online Bookstores
• https://aalbc.com/content.php?title=A+List+of+Black-Owned+Book+Distributors+and+Wholesalers
• Wineries:
• https://monarch.wine/10-black-owned-wineries/#:~:text=10%20Black%20Owned%20Wineries%201%20Lyons%20Wine%20%28Emilia-Romagna%2C,Zealand%29%20…%208%20Aslina%20Wines%20%28South%20Africa%29%20
• Coffee and Tea: https://shoppeblack.us/black-owned-coffee-tea-starbucks-alternatives/
• https://www.conversationswithartists.com/home/dont-k-hayes