Five Black businesses making a difference in their communities and thriving despite COVID-19 By April Siese
February 24, 2021 / 6:02 AM / CBS News
When Jailaih Gowdy celebrated her birthday last year on June 2 – Blackout Tuesday – she wished for a business: A market with nutrition and education in mind, meant to serve the New Orleans community via a network of Black business owners. Less than a year later, that dream was not only realized, but has grown into something even bigger. For Us, By Us Market in New Orleans, Louisiana, is somewhat akin to a farmers market. Operating on the last Saturday of each month, vendors include Black farmers and Black-owned businesses. Speakers such as local political candidates come to make their case. Family activities abound, including a mobile petting zoo. The market offers robust brunch options featuring vegan items sure to delight even the most persnickety carnivore. A Black-owned urgent care center sets up sho
El Cielito Café Founder Daniel Olivares. Courtesy photo.
Daniel Olivares can recall being a young man living in Los Angeles when he visited a newly opened location of a high-end San Francisco-based specialty coffee chain in his neighborhood of Echo Park.
He remembers seeing that two of the three coffees on offer at the sleek bar were from Latin America, yet everyone there making and buying the coffee was white.
It has long been the case that specialty coffee shops have been markers of gentrification in certain communities, and that disparities carry through to the coffees themselves. Most often hailing from parts of Latin America, Africa or Asia, specialty beans are predominantly bought and sold in the United States by white people.
Photo by Folco Masi on Unsplash
https://unsplash.com/photos/e05DZ0UT52o
By Laila Weir - Published on December 18, 2020.
This has been a year of steady calls to support Black-owned businesses, and the holidays can be a great opportunity to vote with our wallets. Below is an incomplete list of Black-owned businesses to check out in the San Jose area this season.
You can begin by pampering yourself and your loved ones with some giftable skin care products and a voucher for a visit to a salon (subject to safety regulations, naturally).
Ice Body Skincare is a mother-daughter team out of Union City that produces hand-made, natural and organic, paraben-free beauty products in small batches.