Standing on Business: The Black Dollar Edition

Photos: Angela Davis, Madam C.J. Walker, the 1960s sit-ins

Recently, I attended an all day restaurant, cafe, and bottleshop in my hometown; one of the most underrated, diverse, and best food scenes in the US, Philadelphia. My dining experience ended up being less than 30 minutes after, unfortunately, due to micro aggressions, feeling rushed, and overall feeling like I was not worthy to be served there. I already had my one drink, my infamous go-to of an espresso martini, but after feeling like I don’t like the way I'm being treated, I got the check and left.

I made a TikTok expressing my sentiments where many provided support, words of encouragement, and very few trolls here and there, but overall I was in awe. Black people are standing on business about their black dollars. So long are the days where we overcompensate to prove a point when facing prejudgment to prove a point or even code switching to make others feel more comfortable. No now is the time to be unapologetically black and resting in our 92%. I didn’t get mad or even too upset; I know my power and my value and I stand in that. Not supporting companies and businesses that don’t value our presence and contribution to society by not contributing to their businesses is a step towards knowing and standing in our self- worth. It’s a beautiful thing when our people come together and I believe it is a time period for unity and togetherness.  The numbers speak for themselves.

According to Yahoo Finance , Target has loss 15.7 billion dollars in market value and Fortune’s article Target backtracking its DEI efforts backfired. Store traffic dropped nearly 10% after the company’s move to conclude its diversity-related goals and initiatives,  those that support the movement towards unity and inclusion are standing on business. Starbucks and other big name stores were effected by these actions as well, as many have disregarded spending their money & hurting companies where they really care, their pockets.

Standing on business in situations where we don’t feel valued or are even undervalued is a form of economic empowerment, one where the shift is felt. When stand together in unity it enforces change and for companies to recognize that collectively we hold power. I hope that for the future the perception of young black people walking into establishments will change. I hope that when they see us that the treatment will be as equal as if servers saw a group of white business men come in or even a white man in coming in running gear in a fine dining restaurant . The point is we are here… and I think we are realizing we are much more powerful than we realize.