Affordable Wholesale

In the U.S., Black Businesses Month is celebrated during the month of August, building on a successful initiative that has been running since 2004. It’s an opportunity to support the 10% of American businesses that are Black-owned, particularly in sectors such as health care, social work, repair and maintenance, beauty salons, and restaurants.

The idea originated in a project launched by the entrepreneur Frederick E Jordan. He saw firsthand, during a 50-year career running his own engineering business, how hard many minority owners found it to get the backing their businesses deserved. Today, statistics suggesting the Black community is under-represented amongst small business owners – as well as more likely to suffer unemployment and poverty – underline why Black Business Month remains as important as ever.

Support from big business

The good news is that large American businesses are waking up to the idea of minority support. Target Corporation, for example, has promised by 2025 to invest more than $ 2 billion with Black-owned businesses and to add products from more than 500 Black-owned brands to its shelves. Retailer Sephora is pursuing similar targets, as it seeks to become more inclusive in the merchandise it stocks.

It’s not simply an …