Buy Black
Happy Black History Month!
Lately, I’ve been more conscious about how I use my platform and where I spend my money. After the events of 2020, I found myself in the midst of a global pandemic and racial unrest. I was angry, tired, and doing my best not to become numb to racial injustice, because it isn’t normal.
I made a decision to be more devoted to my people. I want to celebrate our creativity, by “Opening my purse,” and using my social media to promote black owned EVERYTHING!
I know someone reading this is going to say, “Damn, she wasn’t buying black before,” but that isn’t true. I’m now just hyperaware of what businesses I choose to invest my time and money into. I’m sure i’m not alone when I say that I’ve carelessly given thousands of dollars to large businesses that wouldn’t know the first thing about the Black community. Acknowledging that, I vow to do better moving forward.
This week I am highlighting a small company named Mutani’s pocket. They specialize in making handmade modern crafts from East Africa. Their goal is to give small artisans in East Africa visibility within the U.S market, and challenge the narrative of what people think about “traditional” East African fashion/art.
The Dhana Bag!
This purse was handmade in Kenya! It’s made up of a unique mixture: Sisal (hemp like material), and sewn leather. Basket weavers in rural Kenya intricately weave and dye the center part made of sisal, then it is taken to a leather maker to join all of the parts.
There’s a few things I absolutely love about this bag. The first being the QUALITY!!! This bag is timeless, and will always be in style. It’s the kind of piece you can pass down, and it’ll still be in good shape.
The second thing is the versatility! This is the kind of purse you can dress up or down. I chose to pair it with something simple/casual because the bag was the focus.
The third thing I love is its authenticity. The Dhana bag is beautifully made. Just by running my fingers over the weaves and leather, you could feel the time and attention it took to make.
There are many ways to support black owned businesses. The most direct way is to spend your money, the second is using your platform to promote and support. In full transparency, this bag was gifted, but I want to make it clear that I would, with no hesitation, spend my coins at Mutanis Pocket. The history alone is enough for me to support this business which happens to be ran by a young black woman. In today’s world, everything is mass produced due to high demand. It’s rare coming across a company that takes the time to handcraft each product, making sure the quality is the same across the boards.
Buying from/supporting black owned businesses is imperative because it helps to close the the racial wealth gap, builds community morale, creates job opportunities, and most importantly, builds generational wealth..
If you look at the history of black businesses, you’ll see that black people have always had the code to success.
Our creativity and genius was never the issue. The issue was the fear of us catching up, and tapping into our greatness. Shit, I’m still tapping into mine.
Witnessing young black entrepreneurs do what they love, and educating themselves on financial literacy is admirable and inspiring. I have no choice but to give them their flowers.
Have you ever heard of Black Wall Street? If not, Black wall Street was located in Tulsa, Oklahoma Greenwood District. It was one of the most flourishing African-American communities in America. That is until, racial violence sparked after the Tulsa tribune reported that Dick Rowland, a black man, “attempted” to rape a white woman. In short, this resulted in Black Wall Street going up in flames, and just like that, a big piece of black wealth was eliminated. Click here to learn more about BLACK WALL STREET!
Make sure to continue supporting black owned businesses, small or large. Black wealth creates diversity in the marketplace, thus, giving us a seat at important tables. Once we’re a part of the conversation, real change can take place.
BUY BLACK!
BAG: MUTANI’S POCKET
BLAZER: Boohoo
JEANS: FashionNova
Thank you for reading.