Why is it so difficult to find a database of businesses that are truly black owned?
I’ve heard from neighbors and friends that businesses listed online as black owned are too often misrepresented as such.
This was a bit frustrating for me, so I decided to do a little research.
I ran across an article about restaurants categorized as black owned on Uber Eats that really aren’t.
https://gizmodo.com/turns-out-pretty-much-anyone-can-claim-to-be-a-black-ow-1845864688
The article lists several reasons for this issue. First of all, businesses mainly self identify on the app as black owned. It further states that Uber Eats uses “local information” to identify black owned restaurants as well as various “employee groups”, including the Black At Uber Employee Resource Group.
The article also mentions that changes in business ownership contribute to inaccurate information if not updated timely.
Not stated in the article is the possibility that businesses have an incentive to identify as black owned on Uber Eats because those businesses qualify for free delivery- which entices more customers.
Then, I located an article titled “What Does Being Black Owned Mean in 2021?”. This article clarifies the difference between business that are black owned and those that are “only” black founded.
What Does Being “Black-Owned” Mean In 2021?
There are many brands that were founded by black people, but were later purchased by white people. Or were later invested in for a majority stake by white people.
For example, I didn’t realize that Shea Moisture and Carol’s Daughter are black founded- not black owned.
These terms can really confuse customers and do not mean the same thing. Many argue that only black OWNED businesses support and uplift black communities. The other argument is that the confusion makes it difficult to hold retailers accountable for their promises to diversify selections.
Thank goodness for people like Abu Akh that created an App called Rank Tribe, that showcases a plethora of black owned business. The app is free! Download it today!! (NOT a paid advertisement! Lol!)
There are a couple of other apps that cater to black owned restaurants as well:
Take care people! Support products and services that are for us and by us!
Andy Girl Is In Da Streets! 