According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, from 2002 to 2017, the number of Black-owned businesses with employees increased by 31.2%. While this is something to celebrate, the pandemic has disproportionately affected Black-owned businesses. A higher percentage of Black-owned companies shuttered during the pandemic, and of those that did survive, only 10% described their business as “profitable and growing.”
By intentionally seeking out and supporting Black-owned businesses, we can help to reverse this trend, inject more equity into equality, and do our part to combat structural inequities that have plagued Black business owners for centuries.
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At Oak Knoll, we work for Christian principles of justice, peace, and compassion in every facet of life. This means elevating underrepresented voices in all that we do. During this Black History Month and beyond, we encourage you to make it a priority to visit and frequent Black-owned businesses in your area. To help you on your way, we've compiled the following local resources and directories:
- Google maps is a terrific resource. Simply use the search bar to type, “Find black-owned businesses near me” to highlight a list of options. If you are looking for something more specific, replace businesses with “restaurants,” “shops,” “conveniences” etc.
- Visit “A Guide to Black Owned Businesses in NJ” published by NJ.com.
- You can find Black-owned restaurants near you using DoorDash by searching with the Black-owned tag.
- NJMoms has this list of recommendations submitted by Mom’s with the locations of each business included.
- You can also search for black-owned pages and groups on Facebook, such as Black Owned New Jersey, which has 210K followers, where members recommend local black-owned businesses frequently.
- Black Owned New Jersey is also on Instagram as @blackownednj
- The US Chamber of Commerce has this helpful list of 17+ directories that feature Black-owned businesses.
- Specific to New Jersey and primarily a support for business owners themselves, the New Jersey African American Chamber of Commerce offers some resources for consumers and hosts a Black-business expo in June.
- You can find and support Black-owned businesses with the apps & websites listed here.
- This app from BLAPP makes it easy to find Black-owned businesses near you as well as products and services offered by Black-owned business owners
