What You Can Do to Support BLM as a Founder
By: The Loop
Tags: Blm, Support, BlackLivesMatter, Founders, Entrepreneurship

In the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrations have erupted in almost every major city to draw attention to police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement. A white woman called 911 on a black man for asking her to leash her dog. George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others were murdered needlessly. As Opal Tometi, the co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement, says, “this is a war on black life”.

Here are some ways you can take action in support of Black Lives Matter movement and the black community.

1. Educate yourself

The easiest way to begin supporting the black community is through educating yourself — familiarize yourself with the black experience so you can use privilege and resources to most amplify change. Listen to the voices and stories that speak to the decades of racial injustice and police brutality so you can have a more fuller understanding. Unlearn and learn. Here is a list of media you can visit:

Articles:

Books:

Recitatif by Tony Morrison, a short story anthology of African American women.

The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander, a look into the US criminal justice system.

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, consisting letters of reflections, feelings, and realities of being black in the US.

Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X Kendi, a history of race in the US.

White Fragility by Robin Diangelo, “exploring the counterproductive reactions white people have when their assumptions about race are challenged, and how these reactions maintain racial inequality.”

Dying of Whiteness by Jonathan Metzel, showing how racial resentment is leading to the demise of the US.

Watch: (available on multiple streaming platforms)

Fruitvale Station, following the events leading up to Oscar Grant’s by BART police officer Johannes Mehserle.

The Hate You Give, a drama film based on a high school black girl after experiencing a police shooting.

Blindspotting, following a parolee with three days left on his sentence and experiences a police shooting that ruins a lifelong friendship.

I Am Not Your Negro, a documentary recounting racism in the US through James Baldwin’s remininces of civil rights movement leaders.

Dear White People, a series following students of color at Winchester University, a predominantly white Ivy League college.

Seven Seconds, a crime drama on an investigation of the death of a young black boy in a hit-and-run — with a white police officer behind the wheel.

2. Support businesses owned by black founders

Small black businesses have disproportionately been more vulnerable than white business owners since the onset of COVID-19. The number of black business owners has plummeted over 40%, an unevenly steeper number than any other racial group according to the Washington Post. As of April, the United States has lost almost 450,000 black business owners. Spend your money supporting black-owned businesses. Yelp is even adding a tool to search specifically for black-owned businesses to support.

Here are a few businesses owned by black founders (by no means exhaustive) that you can support:

Apparel:

Pyer Moss: a “mens and womenswear fashion label concerned with building a narrative that speaks about heritage and activism.”

Brother Vellies : an accessories brand selling “handcrafted shoes and handbags from South Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya & Morocco, founded by Creative Director, Aurora James.”

an accessories brand selling “handcrafted shoes and handbags from South Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya & Morocco, founded by Creative Director, Aurora James.” House of Aama: an e-commerce label that “explores the folkways of the Black experience by designing timeless garments with nostalgic references informed by historical research, archival analysis, and storytelling.”

The Cultured Savage : a shop specializing in HBCU and Black culture tees and sweats

a shop specializing in HBCU and Black culture tees and sweats Nude Barre: a black-owned shop selling hosiery “made in 12 shades of nude to match all skin tone”

Beauty:

KNC Beauty : an all natural lip and eye beauty brand founded by Kristen Noel Crawley

an all natural lip and eye beauty brand founded by Kristen Noel Crawley Pattern Beauty: a brand fulfilling “the unmet beauty needs of the curly, coily, and tight textured community,” women and people of color to embrace their natural hair.

The Honey Pot Co: a brand of complete and natural feminine hygiene products, also providing menstrual products to those who are homeless, low income, or living in poverty.

a brand of complete and natural feminine hygiene products, also providing menstrual products to those who are homeless, low income, or living in poverty. Mented Cosmetics: a cosmetic brand of makeup products perfectly pigmented to match skin tones of all women, from light to tan to dark skin tones.

Art/Books:

Oh Happy Dani: a black artist encouraging faith, inspiring justice, and guiding people to love their neighbors.

Mahogany Books: an “online bookstore for bestselling and classic African American books.”

Home/Decor:

BLK MKT Vintage: “a collection comprised of black collectibles, cast-off’s and curiosities, representing the richness of black history and lived experience.”

“a collection comprised of black collectibles, cast-off’s and curiosities, representing the richness of black history and lived experience.” Material Life: a “retail concept shop dedicated to gathering, promoting, archiving, and making accessible the complexity of Black life and history.”

Board Game Brothas: “a Black owned game design and publishing company, specializing in tabletop games related to Hip Hop and Black culture.”

For more black owned small businesses, you can find a list of 125 to support right now from the Strategist.

3. Donate to organizations.

If you are able to give, donate to organizations that are actively working towards a more fair and equitable society in light of recent events. You can also lead a collective effort with your team through starting an office fund! Again, this is not an exhaustive list and we encourage you to donate to organizations you personally identify as well!

George Floyd Memorial Fund

Official Gofundme to support the Floyd Family for burial and funeral expenses, mental and grief counseling, and assistance.

Justice for Breonna Taylor

Official Gofundme to support the family of Breonna Taylor

Black Lives Matter Global Network

“a chapter-based national organization working for the validity of Black life,” working to rebuild the Black liberation movement.

Black Visions Collective

A black, trans, and queer-led organization committed to the dismantling of oppression and violence.

Reclaim the Block

Organizes Minneapolis community and city council members to move money from the police department into other areas of the city’s budget that truly promote community health and safety

Brooklyn Community Bail Fund

A New York state-chartered charitable bail fund committed to challenging the racism, inequality, and injustice of our criminal legal system.

4. Check for unconscious bias in your company’s recruitment practices

Use this situation as an opportunity to grow, educate, and reflect. One of the most direct channels you can begin is by reevaluating your company’s recruiting process for unconscious bias. Here are several action items you can explore:

Rewrite your job postings and experiment with the wording, and remove any adjectives uniquely associated with a particular group

Standardize and quantify where you can — consider having candidates complete a sample test or have multiple interviewers assign scores on a variety of qualities with clear guidelines. Ask the same set of questions for a structured interview.

Try going blind on resume reviews — focus on experiences and qualifications and do not let the demographic characteristics affect your decision making. You can implement recruiting efforts at historically black colleges and universities, as well as partner with organizations such as Powertofly or Jopwell that have a focus on diversity recruiting.

Considering setting intentional diversity goals — take a look at your team now and identify opportunities for more equitable outcomes. It is not enough to just set these goals, but understand their purpose and actively track how well you are performing to them.

5. Check on your coworkers and team.

In the same way we have checked in with others during COVID-19, let us check in with the mental and physical wellbeing of our teams, co-workers, co-founders. Schedule a meeting to have a conversation on diversity and inclusion, and try to make these conversations ongoing so the team has an opportunity to reflect and make long-term changes.

This is the time to put true diversity and inclusion to action.

Written by: Michelle Fang