Patronize Black-Owned Companies

 

Trigger Warning

Earlier this month, rapper and activist Killer Mike released a Netflix Original, titled Trigger Warning with Killer Mike. Killer Mike is half of the rapping duo, Run the Jewels. In his Netflix Original docu-series, he addresses topics of racism, classism, sexism, etc. His first episode, Living Black, consisted of a social experiment of sorts. For three days prior to his show in Athens, Georgia, Killer Mike sets out on a self-appointed quest to live completely Black.

Three days prior to his show in Athens, Georgia, Michael Santiago Render (Killer Mike) set out on his quest to conduct business solely with Black-owned businesses. Vikram Gandhi, director of the series, told Killer Mike that his endeavor would be an impossible one. Killer Mike did not allow that to stop him.

While attempting to live completely Black–meaning only spending his money with Black-owned businesses and vendors–Killer Mike came to the Black economic experts. Early on in the episode, Killer Mike consulted with We Buy Black’s very own founder, Shareef Abdul-Malik. During their meeting, Abdul-Malik presented a number of Black-owned products that are currently selling on We Buy Black to Killer Mike. With the help of We Buy Black, Killer Mike was able to complete his mission of Living Black for three consecutive days.

 

Our Black Year

The Afterword – Slate

In 2009, Maggie Anderson and her family pledged that they would patronize black-owned companies whenever possible, so she scoured the Chicago area for black-owned supermarkets, dry cleaners, gas stations, pharmacies, and clothing stores. Our Black Year: One Family’s Quest To Buy Black in America’s Racially Divided Economy is the story of their experiment in conscious consumerism. Anderson discovered that black businesses lag behind businesses of all other racial and ethnic groups in every measure of success. In the Asian community, a dollar circulates among local shop owners, banks, and business professionals for up to 28 days. In the Jewish community, a dollar circulates for 19 days. In the African-American community, a dollar is gone within six hours.

A Year of Buying Black

The interview runs about 29 minutes.

Spokane Black Business Directory

Do you know of other minority businesses in Spokane or online? Tell about them in the reply/post comment box below.

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