The Black Lives Matter marches this month marked the largest national movement since the 1960s. It is an incredible time of change, anxiety, and hope in America today.
As a small business owner, I can suggest a significant way to help the cause; support independent, black-owned businesses. Conglomeration is on the rise, making barriers to entry and start-up costs higher and higher for small business owners - especially for minority-owned businesses. And the wine industry is a blaring example - according to an interview in the SF Chronicle, only one-tenth of one percent of US wineries and winemakers are black.
It is crucial to think about where we exercise our purchasing power because as consumers, we really do hold the power. 70% of the American economy is driven by consumer spending - our spending really does impact the fabric of our country.
While less convenient than big box shops, I truly believe that what we lose in convenience we gain in richness, character, and a sense of place in America when we support small, independent businesses. Below are links to information about black-owned wineries and black-owned spirits companies, many of which ship across the country.
Thank you for reading - if you have additional ideas for me to post and share please send to rachel@rachelfarah.com.
Black owned Wineries and Spirit Companies