22 Black Owned Businesses To Support In Honor of The Tulsa Massacre of 1921
For many people right now, June 1st marks a full week since the senseless murder of George Floyd in police custody captured national attention on May 25th. And since that day we have seen many peaceful demonstrations that have demanded justice for Floyd, as well as violent, chaotic run ins with police and the National Guard.
they literally sent out the national guard to a peaceful protest on hollywood blvd they’re treating it like war when all we want is justice pic.twitter.com/QAAl47pXob
— livi (@artsvoid) June 2, 2020
But for black people in this country, June 1st is a day that carries with it a heavy history and a poignant reminder as to why we are currently in a moment of protest, unrest, and vocal police distrust that some (white) people can’t seem to understand.
Starting on May 31st through June 1st 1921, Tulsa World reports that an angry white mob “of at least 1,000” men, and of which included police officers, blazed through an affluent black community, known affectionately as “Black Wall Street” in Tulsa, OK. Due to the suspicion that a black man from the neighborhood had allegedly assaulted a white woman (most likely in Amy Cooper fashion), they descended upon the Greenwood neighborhood and for two days created chaos and mayhem within the community.
They looted.
They occupied and burned down roughly 35 blocks of black people’s property and about 1200 homes, leaving 8,000 of the 11,000 black residents of Tulsa homeless.
They lynched an estimated 300 black people—of which for many years afterwards grieving families could not even locate the remains of their loved ones.
Image from ForHarriet.com
And then they did what white people in this country do best: revision, erasure, and deflection. They revised the massacre to be seen as a “riot” or a “negro uprising” in the hopes of getting people to believe that this black community was starting trouble, and that they were simply trying to restore order.
They attempted to erase its presence from Tulsa history. Vox reports that “records of [the massacre] disappeared, and for decades, it wasn’t talked about much at all, nor did it appear in history books.”
And now many years later, as we’ve seen with many white people’s reaction towards black death and sorrow, they deflected responsibility for their actions. Systemic justice was never granted for this community. Year and years of economic growth and prosperity were destroyed with no promise of restitution, or even as much as an acknowledgement from the government about the tragedy. The Tulsa Historical Society and Museum notes that none of the damage from the massacre “was then or ever has been prosecuted or punished by government at any level.”
But most tragically, this incident left many surviving black residents like Olivia Hooker, with a lifelong sense of fear, trauma, and PTSD that I’m sure many black people today would say is still their current experience with the world.
“I used to scream at night. I didn’t sleep. I had nightmares.”
So, I bring up this to say that:
People need to stop ignoring the centuries long history of injustices that black people and communities have had to endure by the police, and white supremacists. It is not crazy or unbelievable as to why black people/communities do not trust the police—especially in the wake of what we all witnessed with George Floyd’s death.
We could all do a greater part in righting the wrongful decimation of Black Wall Street, and black prosperity by purchasing something today (and real talk every day) from a black business owner.
Inspired by this Twitter thread by user @jadealycebod, I rounded up a list of black businesses that I love or that I’m excited to purchase from in the future that you can also help support.
In honor of the Tulsa massacre, and the destruction of Black Wall Street, seriously consider giving these companies your business—especially during a time like this where many are unsure of what their future holds during this economic downturn.
Hair
Grace Eleyae — “Slaps” which are much more fashionable bonnets, hats, headbands, and more.
I’ve been dying to try these slaps forever since my bonnet notoriously comes off in the middle of the night. Just bought a few and will let you know my thoughts in a future post!
Kinky Curly Yaki — Natural hair extensions and clip ins.
Amazing natural hair extensions. While I don’t really wear clip ins anymore since shaving my head, when I did, these were an amazing find.
The Wrap Life — Head wraps.
Felicia Leatherwood/Brush With The Best — Hair detangling brush.
THIS. BRUSH. THO. I have never thought I’d ever be this passionate about a brush, but this brush is a must-have in every natural’s tool kit. Comes highly recommended!
Aunt Jackie’s — Hair product line
Tried this product line on the recommendation of Issa Rae’s hair stylist, Felicia Leatherwood, and their products did not disappoint—especially the flaxseed edge tamer and the seal it up hair butter. Both come highly recommended!
Beauty
OMGlo Cosmetics — Highlighting sprays and serums.
LOVE THIS! One of my favorite highlighter sprays.
Uoma Beauty — General cosmetics.
Fenty Beauty — General cosmetics.
Beauty Bakerie — General cosmetics.
Unsun Cosmetics — Sunscreen.
Mad Nails — Press on nails.
Black Girl Sunscreen — Sunscreen.
Home
Nicholle Kobi — Art prints, cards, decor pillows, and more.
Have been a long time fan of Kobi’s work. Just waiting for that perfect time to shell out for one of these.
Pur Home — Cleaning supplies.
Blk and Bold — Teas and Coffees.
Body
Nubian Skin — Lingerie, shoes, and more.
I have been a long time fan and supporter of Nubian Skin. You can check out this video I produced featuring their products when I worked at BuzzFeed.
Pendeza Pantyhose — Stockings.
I also featured Pendeza in that same video with Nubian Skin, and I found their stockings to be an excellent color match.
Savage Fenty — Lingerie, sleepwear, and more.
Other
Nroda — Sunglasses, hats, and more.
Still mad at myself for not buying these when they were at AfroPunk. But currently there’s a 40% off sale so who knows…
Honey Pot — Vaginal and Menstrual products.
Melanie Marie — Jewelry.
I got my eyes on this Nefertiti pendant.
Eat Your Way To Self-Confidence — Health and wellness book.
My guidebook to developing healthy eating practices that I wrote and self-published earlier this year. Right now it is only available digitally on Amazon, but will hopefully have a print and audiobook version by the end of the year.
And for more black businesses in your area, also consider downloading the app, Official Black Wall Street.
Do you have any black owned businesses that you love? Share them in the comments! Are you a black business owner? Share your business in the comments. Let’s turn this post into the ultimate black business shopping guide.
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