Juneteenth - Black Owned Business to Support
Juneteenth also known as Emancipation Day, is annually observed on June 19 in the United States to commemorate the official ending of slavery.
President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1663 declaring all enslaved people in the Confederate States free. However it took until after the Civil War ended (April 9, 1865) on June 19, 1865 when Union Troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to deliver the news. Galveston was the last city in the states to officially free the enslaved.
Different parts of the United States have celebrated Juneteen from 1866. July 17, 2021 was when Juneteenth was recognized as a federal holiday.
Juneteenth is a day of celebration but it is also a reminder of delayed freedom and its promises for the Black community. An example of this is Jim Crow laws existing until the 13th amendment ratified on December 6, 1865. And it still exists today with justice not being served to victims of police brutality and the banning of Critical Race Theory in schools.
The government recognizing Juneteenth feels very preformative when they have done nothing to help the civil rights of Black people, or even addressing the issues.
This year take the time to learn more about Black History, reflect and see what you can do to help Black people. Some good ways to help are calling your representative to prevent voter suppression laws or sign petitions to end prison labor.Learn to unlearn your languages, recognize when things are AAVE (or slurs that aren’t for us to reclaim *i’m looking at those of you who think its okay to say the N word), unlearn the colorism that had been taught to us.
Another way is to support Black people, year round and buy from Black owned businesses. Here’s a list of Black businesses you can support!
byToni Naturals - this brand sells body butters that are oh so wonderful for moisturizing your body. And done right a little can go a long way. Personally I’m obsessed with their Purple Rain body butter.
Ardent Candle - I personally haven’t bought from this brand yet but the owner creates these wonderful cool looking candles that look like bowls of cereal! And those are done in glass bowls (with a spoon) that you can then reuse after it's all used up and cleaned!
Rosalie Body Works - this brand has popped up on my TikTok fyp a few times. They sell candles in these really cool containers that can be used as lotion!
Juvia’s Place - this is a beauty brand! I’ve only used their eyeliners but all their stuff looks wonderful! You can buy through them directly or at places like Ulta
Black Girl Sunscreen - I’m obsessed with this brand’s sunscreen! The kid’s version is my go-to for face/neck sunscreen (kids cuz it's a bit cheaper than the normal version and better SPF). And it doesn’t leave a white cast! It is pretty moisturizing so if you’re pretty oily I’d suggest finding a different brand for sunscreen. They do sell other products too. Another brand that you can either buy directly from them or places like Target and Ulta.
Beauty Bakerie - A makeup brand. I’ve only used their eyeliner but it's so good!! And I’ve been eyeing their lip whips (liquid lipsticks). I’ve heard they have wonderful staying power, like it needs its own balm to come off(?)
Byvegalia - Vegalia is an artist who has these wonderful art brushes! And imo is best know for her black hairstyle brushes.
Ukelaylie - artist, has an etsy store and her art is stunning! She also has lots of knowledge for artists that she shares on her tiktok.
BCM - BCM is a space for BIPOC creatives, they have a twitter for the public as well as Discord (with closed invites right now I believe)
Ergo Josh - Josh is a youtuber who has wonderful content to consume, mostly so for helping artists learn and improve. He also sells brushes and some tutorials.
Tabitha Brown - She started out with really fun cool vegan recipes tutorials on TikTok. She has such a calming presence/voice. And she got big (not sure how but it's wonderful to see that she has). And now she has a collab with Target as well as merch on her own site.
The StoryGraph - This is a Goodreads alternative but better (imo). It’s my go to for tracking my books now. They have wonderful features like having content warnings on books, giving you stats on the books you’ve been reading and book recommendations based on what you’ve been reading (or are looking for).
Kimberly Lemming - I believe this is a self published author. She has fun dnd (and kind of smutty) books like That Time I Got Drunk And Saved A Demon
Despite what some people might think, I don’t know every single thing out there so here’s some Black Owned business directories for you to check out if there’s something on your list that you’re looking for that I didn’t mention.
https://nymag.com/strategist/article/black-owned-businesses-support-shop.html (not a director but rather an article with a bunch of Black owned-brands)