Tampa Bay takes up the #BuyBlack trend for the holidays

By Gypsy C. Gallardo, Contributor

TAMPA BAY — “It’s time to stop talking about it; it’s time for us to ‘be about it’” says Brother John Muhammad, who is one of the promoters of the new website blackbrowncommunity.com to inspire more local and community shopping this holiday season.

The website – which was built over the Thanksgiving holiday by young entrepreneurs with ties to St. Petersburg – went live this week with a call for black-owned, Latino-owned and community-based firms to post their business information.

According to the “About this site” page at blackbrowncommunity.com, “This online catalog was created to promote businesses in Florida’s Tampa Bay area that … “give back” to their communities. It was launched to fuel the growing trend among African Americans to buy local and “#BuyBlack,” as a means of collectively growing community economies.”

Visit BlackBrownCommunity.com

Visit BlackBrownCommunity.com

The website is powered and supported by local media including the Power Broker Media Group (publisher of the Power Broker magazine), The Weekly Challenger newspaper, New Image News by Community Development & Training Center and others who are dedicated to the vision of mutual support.

“We posted info on a dozen local businesses to get things started,” said Juliana Cepeda, the site’s designer and temporary custodian. “It’s the goal to have 100 businesses posted in time for local customers to spend part of their holiday budgets here at home.”

Hometown businesses such as Skin Kandii (a line of all natural beauty products), Annie’s Beauty Supply store, and Chief’s Creole Café populate the site, alongside professional service firms such as Binger Financial Services and Felton-Howard Law firm.

“This effort joins us with other national and regional campaigns with the same focus,” said Bro. Muhammad, referring to projects such as “My Black Year” and the DSI Black Pages, which will publish its 25th Anniversary edition in 2017. “It is our hope that this dovetails with projects that push local consumer spending,” such as LocalShops1.com.

To list your business or for more details, visit blackbrowncommunity.com

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