Search activity for Black-owned businesses on Yelp increased by 7,043% in the last two months compared to the same period in 2019. That’s according to a Yelp report released on Wednesday. Interest in Black owned businesses is at a fever pitch after the deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery. Unclear is whether this newfound interest will sustain and also, who will control and monetize that interest moving forward.
If the interest in Black businesses continues over time, it is conceivable that people under the age of 20 will live to see a day where Black owned companies are the big chains. Instead of Walmarts and Starbucks on every corner, Black owned businesses would continue to scale, creating prosperity for Black people everywhere. That glorious future is very much attainable, it’s merely a matter of Black consumers choosing to love themselves enough to build up their own communities. There is no divine law stipulating that McDonald’s must have more locations than Black restaurants, especially since their food isn’t better. Black consumers must begin to think bigger than a moment of protest and begin to imagine a takeover. Nothing can stop it, unless Black consumers choose to continue funding their own oppression.
European powers conquered the globe because they possessed firearms. In this modern era, controlling the flow of information is the means to conquest. Amazon chooses which companies you see, as does Google. Yelp monetizes their control of information, as well. Black people cannot depend on these platforms to promote their businesses because it will mean a future in which Black entrepreneurs are still depending on others for prosperity. Just because spotlighting Black owned businesses is fashionable today doesn’t mean it will be tomorrow. Black people must continue to build their own platforms and monetize their understanding of the culture. Black people cannot allow other platforms to own the ‘buy Black’ space. Owning the space means monetizing the data and ultimately controlling the decisions of consumers. Those are powers that simply can’t be turned over to other cultures.
Nothing can stop a takeover of Black businesses, if Black consumers maintain this same energy. It’s time to stop thinking of this as a moment and begin contemplating a a new normal. Black businesses can be the new Walmarts, Googles and Disney’s. This present moment proves that only decisions stand between what is and what Black people desire.
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