In late October, Facebook announced the #BuyBlack Friday campaign in the US – a holiday program that redirects the energy of Black Friday to encourage consumers to #BuyBlack and support Black owned businesses throughout the entire holiday season.
“With the death of George Floyd, it motivated people around the world and employees of Facebook to want to do something,” said Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer to USA Today. “We reached out to our employees, and two, Rachael Hawk and Remi Ray, came up with the idea … Friday is a huge purchasing day. Lots of people want to do something but don’t know what to do – this is something positive they can do. And we’re putting the power and reach of Facebook behind it.”
A key element of this initiative was to allow consumers to more easily find and support their local Black-owned small businesses. To make their connection easier, Facebook worked with their partner the US Black Chambers and other leading voices in the Black community to create The Facebook #BuyBlack Friday Gift Guide: a curation of products from US Black-owned businesses across categories from beauty to home and fashion.
Some of the black businesses highlighted during the #BuyBlackFriday campaign are:
As a part of this campaign, through Black Friday (November 27), we’ll host The #BuyBlack Friday Show, a live event every Friday during Facebook’s Season of Support that will spotlight Black businesses, celebrate Black culture and inspire consumers to #BuyBlack. Phoebe Robinson will host each episode, and will be joined by Black entrepreneurs, entertainers, artists and influencers – such as Tayla Parx, Janet Mock, Elaine Welteroth, Spifster and Dana Oliver. Each episode will air LIVE at 11am PT.
Viewers can tune in via the livestream on both the Facebook App and Facebook Inc. Facebook Pages and within the Lift Black VoicesHub, which will also include links to new resources to help people #BuyBlack for the holidays.
Here are other resources:
- #BuyBlackChallenge: The #BuyBlackChallenge encourages people to support Black-owned businesses by tagging their favorite Black business and using the challenge hashtag. Anyone can use the hashtag, and once they do a #BuyBlackChallenge footer will appear in the post so they can encourage their family and friends to participate in the challenge.
- Facebook will also be launching a new #BuyBlack Stories Sticker to promote #BuyBlack Friday on Facebook and Instagram Stories.
- Participants can also connect with the #BuyBlack Friday movement through their partners – US Black Chambers, Etsy, DoorDash and Refinery29’s Unbothered, Bacardi RUM, Buxom, ForwardPMX, Kepler, MuteSix, BeautyStat, Uniworld, Shopify, Vimeo, StitcherAds and more.
Through #BuyBlack Friday, together with their partners, their hope is to build a new way people can come together while apart during the holidays; and keep shopping while many storefronts can’t be open.
Pictures: IG/FB Reproduction
